The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links
Habit Plants usually blackish green. Plants usually green to very bright green distally, contrasting with light tan proximally.
Stem(s)

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-incurved and twisted to incurved-appressed when dry, spreading to spreading-recurved and not keeled when moist, monomorphic, long-lanceolate, broadly concave adaxially across leaf, usually 1–2.5(–4) mm, base sharply differentiated in shape, ovate, margins usually plane, entire, apex narrowly acute, 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 rectangular, 4–6 cells wide at mid leaf, guide cells in 1–2 layers;

basal laminal cells strongly differentiated medially, rectangular, walls very thin or hyaline, often perforated by transverse slits;

distal laminal cells in rather distinct rows, 7–12 wide, 1:1 or occasionally longitudinally elongate, papillae usually absent, lumens oval to rounded-quadrate or rounded-rectangular, walls convex on both sides of lamina, 2-stratose in one or more rows along margins.

Seta

0.7–1 cm.

0.7–1 cm.

Capsule

1–1.9 mm;

peristome teeth 32, linear, weakly twisted, to 600 µm, occasionally rudimentary.

1–1.9 mm;

peristome teeth 32, linear, weakly twisted, to 600 µm.

Spores

11–15 µm.

11–15 µm.

Specialized

asexual reproduction by multicellular tubers on proximal rhizoids.

asexual reproduction by multicellular tubers on proximal rhizoids.

Distal

laminal KOH reaction variously negative or yellow- or orange- or red-brown.

laminal KOH reaction variously negative or yellow- or orange- or red-brown.

Didymodon australasiae

Didymodon umbrosus

Phenology Capsules mature winter–spring. Capsules maturity not determined.
Habitat Soil, gypsum, acid rock, ledges, sandstone, silt Soil, lava, dolomite, cliff face, rock
Elevation moderate to high elevations (300-2000 m) (moderate to high elevations (1000-6600 ft)) moderate to high elevations (200-1900 m) (moderate to high elevations (700-6200 ft))
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; OR; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; Europe; n Africa; s Africa; Pacific Islands (New Zealand); Australia
from FNA
CA; NM; NY; TX; Mexico; South America; Europe
Discussion

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 umbrosus is one of a number of mundivagant taxa whose distribution is associated with human activities (P. M. Eckel 1986). The proximal marginal cells are elongate and in distinctive rows. The transversely slit basal cells are distinctive in many specimens though also found in taxa of the Dicranaceae (R. H. Zander 1981b), some of which may belong in Pottiaceae (O. Werner et al. 2004).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 547. FNA vol. 27, p. 547.
Parent taxa Pottiaceae > subfam. Barbuloideae > Didymodon Pottiaceae > subfam. Barbuloideae > Didymodon
Sibling taxa
D. anserinocapitatus, D. asperifolius, D. bistratosus, D. brachyphyllus, D. eckeliae, D. fallax, D. ferrugineus, D. giganteus, D. johansenii, D. leskeoides, D. maschalogena, D. maximus, D. murrayae, D. nevadensis, D. nicholsonii, D. nigrescens, D. norrisii, D. perobtusus, D. revolutus, D. rigidulus, D. subandreaeoides, D. tectorum, D. tophaceus, D. umbrosus, D. vinealis
D. anserinocapitatus, D. asperifolius, D. australasiae, D. bistratosus, D. brachyphyllus, D. eckeliae, D. fallax, D. ferrugineus, D. giganteus, D. johansenii, D. leskeoides, D. maschalogena, D. maximus, D. murrayae, D. nevadensis, D. nicholsonii, D. nigrescens, D. norrisii, D. perobtusus, D. revolutus, D. rigidulus, D. subandreaeoides, D. tectorum, D. tophaceus, D. vinealis
Synonyms Tortula australasiae, D. diaphanobasis, Husnotiella torquescens, Trichostomopsis australasiae, Trichostomopsis brevifolia, Trichostomopsis diaphanobasis, Trichostomopsis fayae Barbula umbrosa, D. australasiae var. umbrosus, Trichostomopsis crispifolia, Trichostomopsis umbrosa
Name authority (Hooker & Greville) R. H. Zander: Phytologia 41: 21. (1978) (Müller Hal.) R. H. Zander: Phytologia 41: 22. (1978)
Web links