Flora of North America species comparison

2 cm, 0.5–2 mm wide, ascending to erect.

and branch leaves similar or less commonly differentiated, straight to homomallous, often falcate-secund, usually ovate-lanceolate, often asymmetric, sometimes linear, lanceolate, or triangular, occasionally plicate;

base sometimes decurrent;

margins often plane, occasionally recurved proximally or throughout, entire or toothed;

apex obtuse to acuminate;

costa double, short, to obscure or ecostate;

alar cells usually differentiated, often quadrate to short-rectangular, sometimes enlarged and inflated, pigmented or similar in color to other cells, excavate or plane;

medial and distal laminal cells linear, hexagonal, or elongate-sinuate, smooth, sometimes prorulose at distal ends on abaxial surface.

loosely imbricate to somewhat spreading, often squarrose, sometimes squarrose-recurved, usually straight at stem and branch apices, not plicate, 0.6–2 × 0.3–0.8 mm;

base distinctly decurrent;

margins serrulate to strongly serrate;

alar cells rounded to oval, abruptly inflated, 14–65 × 14–24 µm, hyaline, sometimes orange to red;

basal laminal cell walls pitted, sometimes pitted to mid leaf or beyond;

medial cells 24–50 × 4–7 µm. Sexual condition autoicous.

light brown to red, 0.9–2 cm.

elongate, smooth (occasionally scabrous near capsule in Ctenidium).

autoicous, dioicous, or phyllodioicous.

inclined to nearly erect, light brown, oblong to cylindric, slightly arcuate to straight, 1–2 × 0.3–0.5 mm, not or little contracted below mouth when dry;

operculum conic to conic-apiculate, 0.3–0.4 mm.

inclined, horizontal, or sometimes erect, cylindric or ovoid, usually smooth, often constricted below mouth when dry and empty;

operculum conic or rostrate;

peristome usually double;

exostome teeth 16, external surface cross striate basally, papillose distally, sometimes bordered, internal surface often trabeculate;

endostome usually free, sometimes fused to exostome, basal membrane high or rarely low, segments 16, cilia 1–3, nodose, rarely rudimentary or absent.

cucullate, smooth (weakly prorulose distally in Ctenidium), naked or rarely hairy.

10–15 µm.

spheric to ovoid, usually finely papillose, rarely smooth.

asexual reproduction sometimes by leafy propagula or filamentous gemmae clustered in leaf axils.