Flora of North America species comparison

3 cm, 1.5–2.5 mm wide, creeping.

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.

squarrose-spreading, sometimes erect-spreading, usually appearing distichous and complanate due to twisting of leaves to form 2 rows on opposite sides of stems and branches, not or weakly plicate, 1–2 × 0.3–0.7 mm;

base not decurrent or sometimes 1–3 short cells indistinctly decurrent;

margins serrulate to serrate;

alar cells quadrate to short-rectangular on margins, sometimes 1 cell at extreme basal angle, rounded to oval and inflated, 14–34 × 9–22 µm, green;

basal laminal cell walls pitted, indistinctly pitted distally, sometimes pits absent;

medial cells 43–80 × 3–6 µm. Sexual condition autoicous.

light brown to red, 1.2–2 cm.

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

autoicous, dioicous, or phyllodioicous.

inclined, light brown, oblong to cylindric, slightly arcuate, 0.8–2 × 0.3–0.6 mm, 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.