Didymodon australasiae
Didymodon leskeoides
didymodon moss, leskea-like beard moss
leaves spreading-incurved and twisted to incurved-appressed when dry, spreading to spreading-recurved and not keeled when moist, monomorphic, short-lanceolate or sometimes short-ovate to long-elliptic, broadly concave adaxially across leaf, usually 1–2.5 mm, base scarcely differentiated in shape to ovate, margins usually recurved at mid leaf, entire, apex broadly acute or occasionally narrowly so, not fragile;
costa percurrent or ending a few cells below the apex, broader at mid leaf, occasionally weakly spurred, with a low adaxial pad of cells, adaxial costal cells quadrate, 4–6 cells wide at mid leaf, guide cells in 1–2 layers;
basal laminal cells differentiated medially or across leaf, quadrate to short-rectangular, walls very thin and not perforated;
distal laminal cells 7–12 wide, 1:1 or occasionally transversely elongate below, papillae usually distinct, low or simple to 2-fid, occasionally absent, lumens oval to rounded-quadrate, walls thin to evenly thickened, convex on both sides of lamina, 2-stratose in one or more rows along margins.
leaves spreading-twisted and weakly catenulate when dry, spreading and keeled when moist, monomorphic, long-lanceolate and often with a whiplike acumen, adaxially grooved along costa, 1–2.5 mm, base ovate and usually flaring at the insertion as small wings, margins broadly recurved to mid leaf, entire, apex narrowly acute to long-acuminate, not fragile;
costa short-excurrent in a conic mucro, tapering, pad of cells absent, adaxial costal cells elongate, 2–4 cells wide at mid leaf, guide cells in 1 layer;
basal laminal cells differentiated medially, rectangular, walls thin to thickened;
distal laminal cells 7–10 µm wide, 1:1, papillae usually absent, lumens angular or subquadrate, walls irregularly thickened, convex on both sides, 1-stratose.
0.7–1 cm.
sterile in range of flora.
1–1.9 mm;
peristome teeth 32, linear, weakly twisted, to 600 µm, occasionally rudimentary.
11–15 µm.
asexual reproduction by multicellular tubers on proximal rhizoids.
asexual reproduction absent: possibly through axillary buds.
laminal KOH reaction variously negative or yellow- or orange- or red-brown.
laminal KOH reaction red.
unknown.
Didymodon australasiae
Didymodon leskeoides
In North American Didymodon, hydroids are found in the costae of D. anserinocapitatus, D. australasiae, D. nevadensis, D. norrisii, D. umbrosus, D. revolutus, and D. vinealis, and in these species the adaxial stereid band is usually absent in well developed specimens. Intergrades exist between D. australasiae and D. umbrosus, but the extreme forms are common and quite distinctive.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Didymodon leskeoides differs from D. rigidulus var. ditrichoides by the short and broadly decurrent leaf margins (the former has long and narrowly decurrent margins). It is easily distinguished from Hymenostylium recurvirostrum, with which it commonly occurs, by its usually olive or orange-brown tinge, as opposed to the green to yellow color of the latter. One collection (Northwest Territories: Scotter 22277, BUF) has unusually long stems, to 6 cm.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
CalFlora
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist
USDA Plants Database
BC
PNW Herbaria
