Ceratodon purpureus
Ceratodon heterophyllus
ceratodon moss, fire-moss
(0.2–)1–3(–4) cm.
0.3–1 cm.
crowded, erect-patent to contorted or somewhat crisped, rarely straight when dry, lanceolate, ovate-lanceolate, or triangular-lanceolate, 0.35–2.8 mm, margins recurved to near apex or rarely plane, irregularly serrate to uneven or smooth distally, apices acute to short-acuminate or, rarely, obtuse;
costa strong, sub-percurrent to excurrent, sometimes as a long, smooth awn, medial laminal cells (6.5–)8–12(–14) µm, cell walls even, usually of medium thickness, often somewhat thicker and rounded at the cell angles.
loosely imbricate, somewhat contorted when dry, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, concave and often somewhat cucullate, (0.35–)0.5–0.9(–1.5) mm, margins plane to weakly recurved, often only at mid-leaf, and entire to, rarely, weakly toothed distally, apices obtuse;
most costae ending before apex;
medial laminal cells (9–)12–16(–22) µm, thin-walled to somewhat thickened.
1–3(–4) cm, various shades of red, orange, or yellow.
(0.9–)1.5(–2.5) cm, red.
oblong to long-cylindric, (1–)2–2.5(–3) mm, smooth to strongly sulcate when dry;
free to united at their nodes, finely papillose to spinulose-papillose, dark red and bordered to completely pale and absent borders.
ovate-cylindric to, occasionally, ovate, (0.9–)1–1.2(–1.5) mm, strongly sulcate when dry;
peristome segments free at their nodes, finely papillose, dark red with pale borders to, rarely, completely pale.
(10–)11–14(–17) µm.
(18–)19–21(–22) µm.
Ceratodon purpureus
Ceratodon heterophyllus
Subspecies 4 (3 in the flora).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
In Northwest Territories, Ceratodon heterophyllus is found only on Prince Patrick Island.
Ceratodon heterophyllus has also been treated as C. purpureus forma heterophyllus (Kindberg) Britton, and R. R. Ireland (1980) considered it to be a variety of C. purpureus, but J. S. Burley and N. M. Pritchard (1990) provided ample evidence that it is a distinct species. The broadly ovate leaves of C. heterophyllus grade into some alpine variations of C. purpureus.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Plants usually of various shades of green to red-brown; seta red to dark brown; capsule inclined to horizontal, oblong to cylindric, strumose, deeply sulcate when dry, usually red to red-brown to purplish, occasionally light brown | subsp. purpureus |
1. Plants pale green to yellow-green to yellowish brown; seta pale yellow to yellow-orange, rarely reddish; capsule slightly inclined to erect, narrowly cylindric to cylindric, not or weakly strumose, smooth to sulcate when dry, usually pale brown to yellow (golden) -orange | → 2 |
2. Stems usually less than 0.5 cm; distal leaves relatively compact, straight to slightly twisted when dry, usually forming a comal tuft, slightly spreading when wet, 0.6-1.2 mm, margins often entire; costa long-excurrent as a smooth awn on many leaves, awns sometimes as long as leaf blade | subsp. conicus |
2. Stems usually greater than 1 cm; distal leaves more open, usually crisped when dry, not forming a comal tuft, spreading when wet, 1.2-1.8 mm, margins often toothed; costa percurrent to slightly excurrent | subsp. stenocarpus |
BC
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
