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Habit Plants in compact hairy cushions, grayish green. Plants 10–20 mm (–70 mm for G. atrata).
Stem(s)

1–2 cm, central strand absent.

central strand present or absent.

Gemmae

absent.

Leaves

ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 0.1–1.15 × 0.3–0.5 mm, keeled, not plicate, margins plane, awns 1–2 mm, very long, smooth to slightly denticulate, flattened basally, long-decurrent, costal transverse section prominent, semi-circular;

basal juxtacostal laminal cells rectangular, sometimes nodulose, thin- to thick-walled;

basal marginal laminal cells rectangular with thickened transverse walls, pellucid in 2–4 rows;

medial laminal cells rounded-quadrate, slightly sinuose, thick-walled;

distal laminal cells yellowish green, 1-stratose with 2-stratose ridges, not bulging, marginal cells 2-stratose, not bulging.

narrowly ovate-lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, keeled, margins plane, recurved or incurved, costa prominent;

basal marginal cells hyaline or not;

distal lamina 2-stratose or with at least several marginal rows 2-stratose.

Seta

straight, centrally attached to capsule.

Sexual condition

dioicous, perichaetial leaves enlarged.

autoicous or dioicous.

Capsule

absent in northern hemisphere material, emergent to shortly exserted, yellowish brown, oblate, exothecial cells irregularly short-rectangular, thin-walled, stomata absent, annulus of 1 row of quadrate, thick-walled cells, operculum mammillate to rostrate, peristome present, nearly fully-developed, split and perforated only in apex, papillose.]

immersed to exserted, smooth (except G. mariniana);

stomata present or absent, small, at neck to part way up capsule.

Calyptra

mitrate to cucullate, covering operculum.

[seta straight, 1.5–2 mm.

Grimmia reflexidens

Grimmia subg. Guembelia

Habitat Dry acidic rock
Elevation low [to moderate] elevations (50[-300] m) (low [to moderate] elevations (200[-1000] ft))
Distribution
from FNA
NF; South America (Argentina, Chile); Atlantic Islands (Iceland); Pacific Islands (New Zealand); Australia
North America; Mexico; Central America; South America; Eurasia; Africa; Pacific Islands; Australia; Antarctic
Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Previous to its discovery in Iceland, as Grimmia grisea (H. C. Greven 1998), G. reflexidens was known from only the Southern Hemisphere. It had previously been collected east of East Bay, Newfoundland, now the only known locality in North America, but was not recognized as G. reflexidens. The latter is similar to G. asperitricha Dixon & Sainsbury of New Zealand, and the two species have been confused by G. O. K. Sainsbury (1945) as well as by R. Ochyra (1993). J. Muñoz (1998b) synonymized G. reflexidens with G. sessitana. However, the former is readily separated from the latter by: (1) enlarged perichaetial leaves, (2) decurrent awns, (3) non-bulging laminal cells, and (4) dioicous sexual condition. Capsules are unknown from Northern Hemisphere material, but G. reflexidens lacks stomata while they are present for G. sessitana. Although G. reflexidens and G. teretinervis both have decurrent awns they are easily separated by a number of characters: G. reflexidens grows in compact cushions, has long awns, and a semicircular costa; G. teretinervis grows in loose clumps, is hyaline-tipped to short-awned, and has a unique costa that is distally almost completely circular in transverse section.

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

Species 41 (13 in the flora).

Members of subg. Guembelia are recognized by their thick, keeled leaves and usually long, straight setae with smooth capsules. Most occur on dry acidic rock, with three species growing on damp to wet acidic rock and one on dry calcareous rock.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 238. FNA vol. 27, p. 233.
Parent taxa Grimmiaceae > subfam. Grimmioideae > Grimmia > subg. Guembelia Grimmiaceae > subfam. Grimmioideae > Grimmia
Sibling taxa
G. alpestris, G. americana, G. anodon, G. anomala, G. arizonae, G. atrata, G. attenuata, G. brittoniae, G. caespiticia, G. crinitoleucophaea, G. donniana, G. elatior, G. elongata, G. funalis, G. hamulosa, G. hartmanii, G. incurva, G. laevigata, G. leibergii, G. lesherae, G. lisae, G. longirostris, G. mariniana, G. mollis, G. montana, G. moxleyi, G. muehlenbeckii, G. nevadensis, G. olneyi, G. orbicularis, G. ovalis, G. pilifera, G. plagiopodia, G. pulvinata, G. ramondii, G. serrana, G. sessitana, G. shastae, G. teretinervis, G. torquata, G. trichophylla, G. unicolor
Subordinate taxa
Synonyms G. grisea subg. Guembelia
Name authority Müller Hal.: Syn. Musc. Frond. 1: 795. (1849) (Hampe) Schimper: Coroll. Bryol. Eur., 48. (1856)
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