Fissidens curvatus |
Fissidens elegans |
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elegant fissidens moss |
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Habit | Plants 1.2–10 × 1–2.5 mm. | Plants to 5.5 × 2 mm. |
Stem | unbranched and branched; axillary hyaline nodules present; central strand weak or absent. |
unbranched and branched; axillary hyaline nodules absent; central strand weak. |
Leaves | as many as 25 pairs, narrowly lanceolate to ovate–lanceolate, acute to sharply acute to short acuminate, to 1.9 × 0.3; dorsal lamina narrowed proximally, ending before or at insertion, infrequently ± decurrent; vaginant laminae 1/2–4/5 leaf length, ± equal, minor lamina ending on or near margin; margin entire, limbate on all laminae, limbidium confluent at apex or ending shortly before apex, extending to base of dorsal lamina, limbidial cells 2–3-stratose; costa percurrent to excurrent, bryoides-type; laminal cells 1-stratose, distinct, smooth, ± bulging, firm-walled, elongate, 7–22 × 4–13 µm, increasing in size toward proximal part of leaf. |
as many as 12 pairs, oblong to lanceolate, acute to obtuse-apiculate, most ending in a clear, sharp cell, to 1.8 × 0.4 mm; dorsal lamina narrowed or rounded proximally, ending at or before insertion, not decurrent; vaginant laminae 1/2–2/3 leaf length, unequal, minor lamina ending near margin; margin serrulate, limbate and entire to remotely denticulate on proximal 2/3 or less of vaginant laminae of most leaves of perichaetial stems, often absent from leaves of infertile stems, limbidium intralaminal in part or completely, limbidial cells 1-stratose; costa ending 2–4 cells before apex or percurrent, ending in apiculus, infrequently short-excurrent, bryoides-type; lamina cells 1-stratose, pluripapillose, obscure, firm-walled, rounded-hexagonal, 5–8 µm, twice as deep as wide. |
Seta | to 12 mm. |
to 5 mm. |
Sexual condition | rhizoautoicous; perigonia gemmiform, proximal to infertile and fertile stems. |
rhizautoicous and gonioautoicous. |
Capsule | theca exserted, ± erect, radially symmetric to inclined, arcuate, bilaterally symmetic, 0.35–1.25 mm; peristome bryoides-type; operculum 0.25–0.3 µm. |
theca exserted, erect, radially symmetric, to 0.8 mm; peristome scariosus-type; operculum to 0.5 mm. |
Calyptra | cucullate, smooth, 0.5 mm. |
cucullate, smooth, to 0.6 mm. |
Spores | 11–18 µm. |
9–13 µm. |
Sporophytes | 1 per perichaetium. |
1 per perichaetium. |
Fissidens curvatus |
Fissidens elegans |
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Habitat | Bare, shaded soil, often among grasses in open Quercus forests and around bases of coastal shrubs | Sandy and clayey soils along roadsides and streams, banks of ravines, bluffs, loess banks, uprooted tree roots, trunks of trees, decaying stumps, sandstone |
Distribution |
CA; Mexico; South America; West Indies; Europe; Asia; Africa; Pacific Islands (New Caledonia, New Zealand); Australia |
AL; AR; FL; GA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MO; MS; OH; OK; SC; TN; TX; VA; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
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Discussion | Fissidens curvatus is distinguished by its delicate dimorphic stems, usually long excurrent costa, limbidium confluent at leaf apex, and slightly elongate laminal cells. The theca is usually arcuate but can also be erect. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
The obscure, pluripapillose lamina cells and leaf apex that terminates in a single, hyaline, sharply pointed cell distinguish Fissidens elegans. The limbidium is quite variable, occurring on the vaginant laminae of most leaves of perichaetial stems to being absent from the leaves of infertile stems. The species is close to F. pallidinervis (see discussion under 26). H. A. Crum and L.E. Anderson (1981) commented on a collection that was possibly made in Lafayette, Wisconsin, a site quite distant from the normal distribution of this species in North America. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 347. | FNA vol. 27, p. 350. |
Parent taxa | Fissidentaceae > Fissidens | Fissidentaceae > Fissidens |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | F. milobakeri | F. ravenelii |
Name authority | Hornschuch: Linnaea 15: 148. (1841) | Bridel: Muscol. Recent., suppl. 1: 167. (1806) |
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