Flora of North America species comparison

The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

Hypnum cupressiforme

Hypnum holmenii

cypress-leaf claw-moss, cypress-leaf plaitmoss, hypnum moss
Habit Plants small to large, rusty green, golden green, yellow-green, or pale green. Plants small, pale green to yellow-green.
Stem(s)

1–8+ cm, pale to yellowish green, brown with age, creeping to erect, complanate-foliate or not, irregularly pinnate to nearly unbranched, attached shoots often regularly pinnate, branches 1–3 cm;

hyalodermis absent, central strand poorly developed;

pseudoparaphyllia filamentous, 1–3-seriate at base.

and branch leaves falcate-secund, broadly ovate-lanceolate, curved to insertion (sometimes markedly), gradually narrowed to apex, 1.4–1.6 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

base not decurrent;

margins plane, serrulate distally;

acumen slender;

costa double, short;

alar cells subquadrate to rectangular, gradually enlarged, region distinct, outermost cell walls thinner, basalmost cells hyaline, walls thinner, cells often tearing away with enlarged stem cortical cells;

basal laminal cells shorter, wider than medial cells, yellowish or unpigmented, walls thickened;

medial cells (50–)60–80 × 3–4 µm. Sexual condition dioicous or phyllodioicous;

inner perichaetial leaves oblong-lanceolate, margins serrulate distally, apex slender, costa obscure.
Leaves

strongly imbricate, not to decidedly falcate-secund, ovate to oblong-lanceolate, gradually or abruptly narrowed to apex, 1.5–2 × 0.5–0.8 mm;

base not decurrent, not auriculate;

margins recurved to plane proximally, serrulate (sometimes weakly) distally, occasionally nearly entire;

acumen slender;

costa double and short or obscure;

alar region well defined, basalmost cells larger, sometimes hyaline, yellowish or brownish;

basal laminal cells shorter, wider than medial cells, not pigmented, walls not pitted;

medial cells (50–)60–80 × 3–4(–5) µm. Sexual condition dioicous;

inner perichaetial leaves oblong-lanceolate, margins serrulate distally, costa obscure.

Seta

reddish, 1–2.5(–3) cm.

pale reddish, 1.5–2.2 cm.
Capsule

slightly inclined, reddish, cylindric, 1.8–2.5(–2.8) mm;

annulus 1–3-seriate;

operculum conic to rostrate;

endostome cilia 1–2(–3).

inclined to horizontal, red-brown, oblong-cylindric, 1.5–1.8 mm;

annulus 1- or 2-seriate;

operculum conic;

endostome cilia 2 or 3.

Hypnum cupressiforme

Hypnum holmenii
Phenology Capsules mature Jul–Aug.
Habitat Moist heaths, shrub thickets, spruce forests, calcareous substrates
Elevation low to moderate elevations (0-1500 m) (low to moderate elevations (0-4900 ft))
Distribution
Nearly worldwide; except Antarctica
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AB; BC; NT; NU; YT; Greenland; Europe (Finland)
Discussion

Varieties 9 (4 in the flora).

Hypnum cupressiforme is an extremely polymorphic species, reflected in the more than 60 varieties that have been described. The species has a wide ecological amplitude as well as a nearly cosmopolitan distribution and is found in all climatic regions except the Antarctic. Taxonomic features reliable in most other species of Hypnum are plastic in H. cupressiforme. Within a single clone, it is possible to sort out several named varieties. Variety lacunosum Bridel was noted by H. Ando (1989) to be weakly differentiated in North America, and he tentatively cited specimens from Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and South Dakota. Ando noted that var. lacunosum typically is robust, thick-complanate to julaceous, with leaves almost straight to weakly falcate and abruptly narrowed to a short acumen, but the North American material is not robust and is therefore problematic.

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

In size and general aspect, Hypnum holmenii often resembles H. plicatulum, but differs in its usually not markedly auriculate leaves and differentiated alar cells. The enlarged alar cells are not differentiated in H. plicatulum. From H. callichroum, H. holmenii differs in its gradually differentiated alar cells (abruptly differentiated in the former). Hypnum hamulosum differs in its strongly hamate stem leaves and less differentiated alar cells. Hypnum holmenii often resembles related species, thus its distribution has been inadequately documented. The plants are shiny and loosely affixed to the substrate; the pseudoparaphyllia margins are irregularly dentate.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Key
1. Branch leaves 1.5-2 × 0.4-0.6 mm or slightly larger
→ 2
1. Branch leaves 1-1.4 × 0.2-0.4 mm or slightly smaller
→ 3
2. Stems weakly complanate-foliate; leaves usually falcate, sometimes strongly so; alar cells not excavate or pigmented.
var. cupressiforme
2. Stems subjulaceous to complanate-foliate; leaves straight to weakly falcate; alar cells excavate, pigmented.
var. subjulaceum
3. Leaves usually falcate, sometimes strongly so; margins subentire to distinctly toothed distally.
var. cupressiforme
3. Leaves straight to somewhat falcate; margins entire or subentire
→ 4
4. Stems subjulaceous, creeping; leaves oblong-lanceolate, gradually narrowed to apex; laminal cells 60-80 × 3-4 µm (or slightly larger).
var. filiforme
4. Stems julaceous, creeping to erect; leaves ovate or widely oblong, abruptly narrowed to apex; laminal cells 40-50 × 5-6 µm.
var. julaceum
Source FNA vol. 28, p. 537. FNA vol. 28, p. 542.
Parent taxa Hypnaceae > Hypnum Hypnaceae > Hypnum
Sibling taxa
H. andoi, H. bambergeri, H. callichroum, H. circinale, H. curvifolium, H. dieckei, H. fauriei, H. fujiyamae, H. hamulosum, H. holmenii, H. imponens, H. jutlandicum, H. lindbergii, H. pallescens, H. plicatulum, H. pratense, H. procerrimum, H. recurvatum, H. revolutum, H. subimponens, H. vaucheri
H. andoi, H. bambergeri, H. callichroum, H. circinale, H. cupressiforme, H. curvifolium, H. dieckei, H. fauriei, H. fujiyamae, H. hamulosum, H. imponens, H. jutlandicum, H. lindbergii, H. pallescens, H. plicatulum, H. pratense, H. procerrimum, H. recurvatum, H. revolutum, H. subimponens, H. vaucheri
Subordinate taxa
H. cupressiforme var. cupressiforme, H. cupressiforme var. filiforme, H. cupressiforme var. julaceum, H. cupressiforme var. subjulaceum
Synonyms Stereodon cupressiformis Stereodon holmenii
Name authority Hedwig: Sp. Musc. Frond., 291. (1801) Ando: Hikobia 11: 365, figs. 2, 3. (1994)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



Type/paste one or more Latin names into the boxes above; matching taxa will show up below the box as you type. You can use the up/down arrow keys to move through the list.

(If the plant you're looking for doesn't show up in the auto-complete list, that means it either isn't described in Flora of North America yet, or it's listed under a synonym. And please note that Flora of North America is still missing several plant families, including Fabaceae, Apiaceae, Boraginaceae, and Polemoniaceae.)

Choose a data source: Flora of North America

The species comparison tool is brought to you by:
Northwest Wildflowers