The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

grimmia dry rock moss, hair-point grimmia

Habit Plants in dense to loose patches, yellowish green to dark green. Plants in loose tufts, olivaceous to black.
Stems

2–4 cm, central strand present.

0.5–0.9 cm.

Gemmae

clusters occasionally present in distal leaf axils.

Leaves

loosely appressed, slightly twisted when dry, erecto-patent when moist, lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, tapering to acute apex, 2–3.5 × 0.3–0.4 mm, usually sharply keeled, margins recurved on one or both sides, plane to erect distally, awns variable, short to long, smooth to denticulate, not conspicuously flattened at base, costa firm, projecting on abaxial side;

basal juxtacostal laminal cells long-rectangular (rarely short-rectangular), ± nodulose, thick-walled;

basal marginal laminal cells short- to long-rectangular, with thickened transverse walls;

medial laminal cells quadrate to short-rectangular, slightly sinuose, thick-walled;

distal laminal cells 1-stratose, occasionally with 2-stratose ridges.

oblong-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 1.6–2 × 0.3–0.6 mm, concave, awn 0.3–0.6 mm;

basal juxtacostal laminal cells quadrate to long-rectangular, straight, thin-walled;

basal marginal laminal cells quadrate to short-rectangular, straight, thin-walled;

medial laminal cells rounded, straight, thick-walled;

distal laminal cells 2-stratose, marginal cells 2-stratose.

Seta

arcuate, 2–4 mm.

sigmoid, 0.3–0.5 mm.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous.

Capsule

occasionally present, exserted, oblong-ovoid, yellowish green to stramineous, striate when dry, exothecial cells thin-walled, annulus present, operculum rostrate, peristome teeth yellowish, papillose, deeply split and perforated.

usually present, exothecial cells thin-walled, annulus of 2–3 rows, rectangular, thick-walled, revoluble, operculum obliquely rostrate, peristome present, rudimentary, teeth composed of only a few rows of cells, perforated, papillose.

Calyptra

mitrate.

Grimmia trichophylla

Grimmia crinitoleucophaea

Habitat Dry, acidic rock Basalt, granite, schist and limestone
Elevation moderate to high elevations (200-2000 m) (moderate to high elevations (700-6600 ft)) moderate to high elevations (500-2100 m) (moderate to high elevations (1600-6900 ft))
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; ID; ME; MO; MT; NV; OK; OR; SD; UT; VT; WA; WY; HI; BC; Mexico; Eurasia; Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; UT; WA; BC; NT; YT; Eurasia
Discussion

In North America, Grimmia trichophylla is principally a lowland species, occurring in the mountains up to about 1000 m., rarely higher. In the Southern Hemisphere, it may be found up to 4000 m. In New Zealand, the species is common, and in contrast to G. trichophylla in North America, frequently bears capsules. The New Zealand plants are usually smaller than American specimens, and the leaves are frequently contorted. The nearly cosmopolitan G. trichophylla has many phenotypes, and numerous subspecies and varieties have been described. In damp and shaded habitats, the awns may be short, just as in dry unfavorable habitats at high altitudes, where stunted specimens may occur with small, short leaves and reduced awns, or even with muticous leaves. Grimmia trichophylla has frequently been confused with related species such as 36. G. muehlenbeckii and 34. G. lisae (see discussions thereunder for identification details). Robust forms of G. trichophylla have been mistaken for G. austrofunalis (H. C. Greven 1997, 2003), which does not occur in North America. Although some of those plants have leaves of equal length along the stem, characteristic of G. austrofunalis, they also have both leaf margins recurved, and the medial and outer basal laminal cells are longer and more robust than in that species.

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

In North America, Grimmia crinitoleucophaea is known from only scattered localities in the American west and in three extremely disjunct sites in Canada: in southern British Columbia, near the Keele River of the Northwest Territories, and along the Dempster Highway in the Yukon. It is found on a broad range of both basic and acidic rock types. Its subgeneric placement is problematic. Gametophytically the species is inseparable from G. tergestina, of subg. Litoneuron. Indeed, based on areolation and leaf shape, L. Loeske (1913–1914, part 1) placed it as a subspecies of the latter. This close similarity may account for reports by J. Muñoz and F. Pando (2000) and D. H. Norris and J. R. Shevock (2004) of G. tergestina from North America. We have seen all cited specimens in these papers and they all represent G. crinitoleucophaea or G. ovalis. Therefore, we reject G. tergestina being in North America. Sporophytic characters of G. crinitoleucophaea (a short, arcuate to sigmoid seta that is eccentrically attached to the capsule, an immersed ventricose capsule with a small, mitrate calyptra, and 3–4 large stomata) clearly indicate membership in subg. Grimmia. Further, G. crinitoleucophaea and G. tergestina have never been collected together, suggesting that the two are also ecologically distinct. Despite its dioicous sexuality, G. crinitoleucophaea is usually fertile; its rudimentary peristome and large annulus are thus readily evident. Its 2-stratose laminal stratification separates it from specimens of G. plagiopodia that may have broken peristome teeth.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 257. FNA vol. 27, p. 232.
Parent taxa Grimmiaceae > subfam. Grimmioideae > Grimmia > subg. Rhabdogrimmia Grimmiaceae > subfam. Grimmioideae > Grimmia > subg. 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. reflexidens, G. serrana, G. sessitana, G. shastae, G. teretinervis, G. torquata, G. unicolor
G. alpestris, G. americana, G. anodon, G. anomala, G. arizonae, G. atrata, G. attenuata, G. brittoniae, G. caespiticia, 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. reflexidens, G. serrana, G. sessitana, G. shastae, G. teretinervis, G. torquata, G. trichophylla, G. unicolor
Name authority Greville: Fl. Edin., 235. (1824) Cardot: Rev. Bryol. 17: 18. (1890)
Web links