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ciliate hedwigia moss, fringe hoar-moss

Leaves

1.5–3 mm;

margins broadly recurved to 1/3 leaf length, narrowly recurved to apex on one or both sides, or plane mid leaf and plane, erect, and/or incurved in acumen on same plant, teeth in apex broad, irregularly papillose to smooth;

apex erect, erect-spreading, or often secund when dry, broad and hyaline, muticous, or acuminate with acumen narrow-based, 1/10–1/5 leaf length, broadly or narrowly, shallowly or deeply channeled, extreme apex flat;

medial and distal laminal cells with papillae (1–)2(–4), small, simple, sessile, or low-stalked, variously branched;

laminal cells in hyaline area with papillae low, simple, in linear rows throughout or sparsely to coarsely and irregularly papillose proximally and smooth to minutely rounded-papillose distally;

apical cell short-rhomboidal, obtuse to truncate, (40–)50–75(–80) µm, multipapillose-coronate.

2–2.5 mm;

margins broadly or narrowly recurved in basal 1/4 or plane on one or both sides, erect to incurved in acumen, entire in apex;

apex erect when dry, broad, hyaline, acumen broad-based, 1/5–2/5(–1/2) leaf length, channeled to tubular, extreme apex flat or sometimes twisted;

medial and distal laminal cells with papillae 1 (or 2), large, stalked, strongly, regularly branched, branches usually of equal lengths, especially on abaxial surface;

laminal cells in hyaline area with papillae low, simple at base, in longitudinal lines on cell lumina;

apical cell long-linear, sharply pointed, (80–)110–125(–150) µm, multipapillose with papillae minute, simple, scattered on lumina and margins, or sometimes smooth.

Calyptra

naked, sparsely pilose proximally, or densely pilose throughout.

naked to sparsely pilose.

Perichaetia

with leaves plane, margins long-ciliate distally.

with leaves broadly channeled to involute, margins entire.

Vaginula

sparsely to densely pilose.

sparsely pilose.

Hedwigia ciliata

Hedwigia detonsa

Phenology Capsules mature spring–late spring. Capsules mature spring.
Habitat Dry rock, acidic rock (granite, sedimentary), conglomerates, limestone, soil, cliffs, dry, sunny boulders, in woods on acidic glacial erratic rock, tree trunks and branches, asphalt shingles, edges of asphalt roads River canyons, open forested lands, dry or moist acidic rock, sandstone, boulders and cliff faces near creeks, open, diffusely lighted mixed forests of Aesculus californica, Calocedrus, Pinus coulteri, Quercus chrysolepis, Torreya, and Umbellularia
Elevation low to high elevations (0-2300 m) (low to high elevations (0-7500 ft)) low to moderate elevations (200-1500 m) (low to moderate elevations (700-4900 ft))
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; Mexico; Central America; South America; Atlantic Islands; Pacific Islands (New Zealand); Greenland; Africa; Eurasia; West Indies; Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA
Discussion

In plants of Hedwigia ciliata with dense paraphyses extending onto the calyptra, the paraphyses are sparsely papillose and have sharp lateral teeth on one side at the distal ends of some cells. In the eastern to northeastern part of the flora area, the typical facies have vaginula and calyptra that are densely pilose. The hyaline apices are absent to short or to 1/3 the leaf length.

Although the type of Hedwigia ciliata var. leucophaea has apparently been lost, L. Hedenäs (1994) gave formal synonymy for var. leucophaea. W. R. Buck and D. H. Norris (1996) proposed the name H. nivalis for a facies of what was formerly called H. ciliata in the southwestern United States, and for all tropical American material. B. H. Allen (2010) accepted this suggestion. M. Lueth and A. Schaefer-Verwimp (2004) reported var. leucophaea as new to South America and that the two specimens of the variety were collected from the type locality of H. nivalis. The leaves in var. leucophaea are more oblong (less ovate) than in H. nivalis, the acumina are narrower, and the calyptra is pilose. These characters in the flora area are present and variable throughout the range of H. ciliata, especially in areas west of mid-continent.

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

Unlike the irregular papillae of Hedwigia ciliata and H. stellata, those of H. detonsa as seen in cross section are nearly identical in regularity of form, moderately stalked and evenly branched. Current studies suggest the species is endemic to California, but it may also be expected in Baja California (W. R. Buck and D. H. Norris 1996). These authors find H. detonsa characteristic of river canyons and open, forested lands, more inland than H. stellata, and avoiding grasslands and savannas.

Hedwigia nivalis (Müller Hal.) Mitten

As noted above, the occurrence of Hedwigia nivalis in the flora area was discussed by W. R. Buck and D. H. Norris (1996), but without definitive conclusion.

Hedwigia ciliata var. leucophaea Bruch & Schimper

Only the typical variety of Hedwigia ciliata was accepted for the flora of North America by L. E. Anderson et al. (1990). Variety leucophaea is an established European taxon accepted as a northern variant of H. ciliata by L. Hedenäs (1994), but it was not reported or recognized in several northern or circumboreal floras, such as that of Canada (R. R. Ireland et al. 1987).

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

Source FNA vol. 28, p. 86. FNA vol. 28, p. 87.
Parent taxa Hedwigiaceae > Hedwigia Hedwigiaceae > Hedwigia
Sibling taxa
H. detonsa, H. stellata
H. ciliata, H. stellata
Synonyms Anictangium ciliatum, H. ciliata subsp. subnuda H. albicans var. detonsa
Name authority (Hedwig) P. Beauvois: Prodr. Aethéogam., 15. (1805) (M. Howe) W. R. Buck & D. H. Norris: Nova Hedwigia 62: 368. (1996)
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