Grimmia trichophylla |
Grimmia hartmanii |
|
---|---|---|
grimmia dry rock moss, hair-point grimmia |
hartman's dry rock moss |
|
Habit | Plants in dense to loose patches, yellowish green to dark green. | Plants in ascending, dichotomously branched patches, green. |
Stems | 2–4 cm, central strand present. |
2–8 cm, central strand absent. |
Gemmae | clusters occasionally present in distal leaf axils. |
in clusters, mulberry- or raspberry-shaped, brown, borne on leaf apices, usually present. |
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. |
slightly contorted with often secund apices when dry, distal leaves usually falcate-secund when moist, broadly lanceolate, tapering to an acuminate apex, 2.5–4.5 × 0.4–0.6 mm, keeled, margins usually recurved on one side, awns very short, denticulate, costa firm, projecting on abaxial side; basal juxtacostal laminal cells short- to long-rectangular, slightly sinuose, thick-walled; basal marginal laminal cells quadrate, thickened transverse walls; medial laminal cells quadrate to short-rectangular, slightly sinuose, thick-walled; distal laminal cells 1-stratose, margins 2-stratose. |
Seta | arcuate, 2–4 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. |
extremely rare, exserted, yellowish green, clavate-obloid, smooth, exothecial cells thick-walled, annulus present, operculum rostrate, peristome teeth orange, deeply split, perforated distally, papillose. |
Calyptra | mitrate. |
mitrate.] |
[seta straight to flexuose, 3–4 mm. | ||
Grimmia trichophylla |
Grimmia hartmanii |
|
Habitat | Dry, acidic rock | Shaded boulders, especially granite, in woodlands |
Elevation | moderate to high elevations (200-2000 m) (moderate to high elevations (700-6600 ft)) | low to moderate elevations (100-1500 m) (low to moderate elevations (300-4900 ft)) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; CO; ID; ME; MO; MT; NV; OK; OR; SD; UT; VT; WA; WY; HI; BC; Mexico; Eurasia; Australia
|
UT; VT; PE; QC; Eurasia; n Africa |
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.) |
Grimmia hartmanii is principally a lowland species, occurring in the mountains up to 1500 m. With the separation of G. anomala from it, G. hartmanii is much less common in North America than was previously thought. It is known principally from the Northeast. Although it is usually found in densely shaded habitats, in areas with high humidity it can establish itself in exposed sites. It more closely resembles some species of Racomitrioideae than it does species of its own genus, but it may be recognized by the usually spreading falcate-secund distal leaves, the very small awns, and the terminal clusters of brown gemmae, which are conspicuous and usually present. Capsules are extremely rare, and are unknown in North America. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 257. | FNA vol. 27, p. 251. |
Parent taxa | Grimmiaceae > subfam. Grimmioideae > Grimmia > subg. Rhabdogrimmia | Grimmiaceae > subfam. Grimmioideae > Grimmia > subg. Rhabdogrimmia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Name authority | Greville: Fl. Edin., 235. (1824) | Schimper: Syn. Musc. Eur., 214. (1860) |
Web links |