Hymenostylium recurvirostrum
Hymenostylium recurvirostrum var. insigne
slender, fragile, 0.5–7 cm.
hyalodermis present.
more or less distant;
costa ending 1–2 cells before apex to percurrent or short-excurrent as a flat to conical apiculus, occasionally ending in a pellucid cell, often scalloped along margins by projecting cell walls, at mid leaf with 2–4 or occasionally several rows of cells across adaxial surface;
costa adaxial surface are U-shaped in section;
basal cells gradually differentiated, elongate-rectangular, less to nonpapillose proximally, larger than distal cells, 20-50 µm, 2–4:1, walls firm, narrower on the margins, pellucid;
distal laminal cells heterogeneous: subquadrate to short-rectangular or rhomboidal, with occasional diagonally transverse walls, longitudinally elongate especially distally near the costa, walls commonly irregularly thickened to porose, marginal cells smaller and more quadrate, ca. 7–10(–12) µm wide, 1–3:1, 1:2, seldom 2-stratose in patches, cell walls superficially flat to somewhat convex, firm-walled;
papillae low, simple to 2-fid, 1–3(–5) per lumen, dense to scattered, occasionally absent.
sometimes more densely arranged along the stem than the typical variety, with a comal tuft;
erect to weakly spreading when dry, squarrose-recurved when wet, (1.6–)2–2.4 mm, margins broadly recurved proximally, often 2-stratose in more or less extensive patches, base rectangular, flaring, with shoulders.
single, (0.04–)0.5–0.9(–1) cm.
perigonial terminal and often also lateral proximally.
urn 0.5–0.9(–10) mm, often widest at the mouth when dry, exothecial cells thin- to thick-walled, 1–4:1, stomates phaneropore at base of capsule;
annulus weakly vesiculose.
ca. 1–1.5 mm.
ca. (13–)17–20(–22) µm.
ca. 0.5–1 mm, usually attached to the columella at least in some capsules.
Hymenostylium recurvirostrum
Hymenostylium recurvirostrum var. insigne
Varieties 5 (2 in the flora).
Hymenostylium recurvirostrum is distinctive among similar species in having one laminal margin typically recurved, the other erect. A character often overlooked in texts is the universal presence of a long, narrow, fragile decurrency in the basal angles. Both Gymnostomum aeruginosum and Eucladium verticillatum have an adaxial epidermis in the costal section, with papillose and quadrate cells on the adaxial surface of the costa in plane view, and the costa profile is round (convex), but Hymenostylium has long, thin and smooth cells in plane view because the epidermal layer is not developed, and the costal profile is convex adaxially, being lunate in section. In Anoectangium aestivum, as in those two species, the dense laminal papillae often obscure cell lumens, but the leaf section shows a very deeply keeled leaf with the leaf lamina adjacent to the costa nearly contiguous or touching, showing a deep, narrow channel in plane view and a circular costa section. The adaxial stereid band is always absent in A. aestivum, but often present in H. recurvirostrum. Molendoa sendtneriana is similar but has a stem central strand, and lateral perichaetia (like A. aestivum).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
In the flora area, var. insigne is known only from British Columbia at Bridal Veil Falls in the Fraser Valley, and Moresby Island of the Queen Charlotte Islands. It is essentially a more massively developed version of the typical variety and intermediate characters can be demonstrated in some specimens. The variety can only be identified with confidence when all characters are present: a larger, more well-developed costa, the occurrence of 2-stratose patches marginally distally on the leaves, the relatively long stems, long leaves, broad leaf base with broadly and flabbily recurved margins, long-acuminate apex acuminate into a conical apiculus. Perhaps the best character of var. insigne is the extremely thick sclerodermis, the thick-walled hyalodermis and histologically robust costa in section. The distal cells of var. insigne have been described as being smooth, but they are papillose in many specimens, including the type from Scotland. Laminal papillae are present in specimens in the flora and when apparently absent they may often be detected in cross section in the unevenness of the ad- and abaxial lumen walls. They are less like the single, sharp papillae of var. recurvirostrum, but are often much lower, 2-fid or scablike. R. H. Zander and P. M. Eckel (1982) presented a comparative morphological analysis of taxa related to or varieties of H. recurvirostrum from several countries and demonstrated the intergrading character of var. insigne and var. recurvirostrum. Variety insigne is an example of gigantism common in the moss flora of hyperoceanic British Columbia, seen also in Gymnostomum aeruginosum and Tortella humilis. The variety resembles Didymodon fallax in its large, long-lanceolate leaves, with flaring bases and broadly recurved margins. Didymodon giganteus has elongate irregular laminal cells. Both species have stem central strands, as is the case in the genus Didymodon. The basal cells are also very thick-walled and irregularly thickened, resembling those of species of Grimmia. Variety insigne might be confused with Amphidium mougeotii, which differs by the tiny, oval laminal papillae organized pole to pole in longitudinal lines, often clearly evident on the leaf base and giving a “granular” appearance to the leaf cells.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
1. Leaves 1-1.6 mm, margins narrowly recurved proximally, rarely 2-stratose distally, base not differentiated in shape or ovate; stem hyalodermis variably absent or present, leaf cells mostly evenly thickened except along the costa; costa in section depauperate, adaxial stereids (0-)2-4 cells across, stem sclerodermis of (0-)1-2(-3) layers | var. recurvirostrum |
1. Leaves (1.6-)2-2.4 mm, margins broadly recurved proximally, often 2-stratose in patches distally, base rectangular, flaring, with shoulders; stem hyalodermis always present, leaf cells distinctly porose throughout or at the leaf base, especially along the costa; costa in section robust, adaxial stereids 6-8(-10) cells across; stem sclerodermis thick, of 3-5 layers | var. insigne |
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