Fissidens elegans |
Fissidens bryoides |
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elegant fissidens moss |
bryoid fissidens moss, lesser pocket-moss |
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Habit | Plants to 5.5 × 2 mm. | Plants 3–11 × 0.9–3.2 mm. |
Stem | unbranched and branched; axillary hyaline nodules absent; central strand weak. |
unbranched and branched; axillary hyaline nodules absent; central strand usually present. |
Leaves | 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. |
as many as 20 pairs, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate or oblong-lingulate, acute to short-acuminate or obtuse-apiculate, to 0.8–2.7 × 0.2–0.5 mm; dorsal lamina narrowed proximally, ending at or before insertion, infrequently slightly decurrent; vaginant laminae 1/2 leaf length, mostly equal; margin entire but often serrulate distally, limbate on all laminae, limbidium reaching apex or ending a few cells before or partially absent to infrequently completely absent, limbidial cells 1–3-stratose; costa excurrent to ending as many as 6 cells before apex, bryoides-type; laminal cells 1-stratose, distinct, smooth, often slightly bulging, firm-walled, irregularly hexagonal, a few elongate, 6.5–16 µm, somewhat larger in proximal parts of vaginant laminae. |
Seta | to 5 mm. |
1.4–10 mm. |
Sexual condition | rhizautoicous and gonioautoicous. |
polyoicous; naked antheridia and archegonia often in axils of distal leaves. |
Capsule | theca exserted, erect, radially symmetric, to 0.8 mm; peristome scariosus-type; operculum to 0.5 mm. |
theca exserted, erect, radially symmetric to ± inclined, bilaterally symmetic, 0.2–1.2 mm; peristome bryoides-type; operculum 0.5 mm. |
Calyptra | cucullate, smooth, to 0.6 mm. |
cucullate smooth, to 0.5 mm. |
Spores | 9–13 µm. |
10–20 µm. |
Sporophytes | 1 per perichaetium. |
1–2 per perichaetium. |
Fissidens elegans |
Fissidens bryoides |
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Habitat | Sandy and clayey soils along roadsides and streams, banks of ravines, bluffs, loess banks, uprooted tree roots, trunks of trees, decaying stumps, sandstone | Soil in moist, shaded sites, stones and rocks (both acidic and basic) in shaded areas, along streams, sometimes inundated, infrequently around bases of trees |
Distribution |
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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AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; NB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; YT; Mexico; Central America; South America; Europe; Greenland; West Indies; Asia
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Discussion | 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.) |
Fissidens bryoides is a veritable kaleidoscope of intergrading expressions. At one extreme is F. bryoides in the strict sense, with plants gonioautoicous and the limbidium, 1–3 cells thick, confluent at the leaf apex with the percurrent to short-excurrent costa. At the other extreme is the expression that has been singled out as F. exiguus, with plants rhizautoicous and the 1-stratose limbidium usually restricted to the vaginant laminae of perichaetial leaves. In rare cases the limbidium can be absent from all leaves. All expressions, however, have clear, distinct, 1-stratose, irregularly hexagonal laminal cells, 6.5–16 µm, that in transverse section are no deeper than wide, and that have smooth walls that can be slightly bulging. H. A. Crum and L. E. Anderson (1981) illustrated the major expressions found in the flora area. Axillary, multicellular gemmae have been reported in Indian specimens. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 350. | FNA vol. 27, p. 345. |
Parent taxa | Fissidentaceae > Fissidens | Fissidentaceae > Fissidens |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | F. ravenelii | F. andersonii, F. bryoides var. incurvus, F. bryoides var. pusillus, F. exiguus, F. exiguus var. falcatulus, F. pusillus, F. synoicous, F. texanus, F. viridulus, F. viridulus var. pusillus, F. viridulus var. tamarindifolius, F. viridulus var. texanus |
Name authority | Bridel: Muscol. Recent., suppl. 1: 167. (1806) | Hedwig: Sp. Musc. Frond., 153. (1801) |
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