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isopterygium moss

Habit Plants small, in thin to dense mats, whitish to yellowish. Plants medium-sized, in thin, loose mats, yellow-green to green.
Stems

to 2(–5) cm, 0.5–1.5(–3) mm wide.

2–4 cm, 2–3 mm wide.

Leaves

erect-spreading, not or slightly wrinkled when dry, ovate to lanceolate, 0.7–1.8 × 0.2–0.6 mm;

margins plane, serrulate to entire proximally, serrate to serrulate distally, rarely entire throughout;

alar cells short-rectangular, quadrate, or transversely elongate, 12–38 × 10–20 µm, region small;

medial laminal cells often flexuose, linear-fusiform, 52–151 × 5–8 µm.

wide-spreading to squarrose, usually wrinkled and contorted when dry, ovate-lanceolate to ovate, 1–1.5 × 0.4–0.7 mm;

margins plane to erect throughout, serrulate proximally, serrate to serrulate distally;

alar cells short-rectangular to quadrate, 19–33 × 9–19 µm, region small, with 1 or 2 cells on margins;

medial laminal cells often flexuose, linear-fusiform, 71–141 × 5–7 µm.

Seta

yellow to reddish brown, 0.5–1.5 cm.

Capsule

cernuous, rarely erect, light brown to orange-brown, 0.5–2 mm;

operculum conic-apiculate to obliquely short-rostrate.

horizontal to pendulous, sometimes nearly erect, light brown to reddish, 1–1.5 mm;

operculum obliquely short-rostrate.

Spores

9–14 µm.

9–14 µm].

Specialized

asexual reproduction sometimes present as filaments on stems, multicellular, green or brown, simple or branched, often more than 0.5 mm, cells papillose.

asexual reproduction absent.

[seta brown to reddish, 2–3 cm.

Isopterygium tenerum

Isopterygium tenerifolium

Phenology Spores 9-14 µm, mature spring–summer. Capsules mature fall.
Habitat Dry wooded regions, swamps, wet roadside ditches, base of trees, rotten logs, stumps, sandy soil, sedimentary rock Low sandstone bluffs along rivers
Elevation low to moderate elevations (0-400 m) (low to moderate elevations (0-1300 ft)) elevation unknown
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; DC; DE; FL; GA; KY; LA; MA; MD; MO; MS; NC; NJ; NY; OH; SC; TN; TX; VA; NS; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; s Europe (Italy)
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
MS; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies
Discussion

Isopterygium tenerum is common in Florida and the Gulf Coast, becoming infrequent northward, occurring in scattered localities to southern New York and disjunct to southern Nova Scotia. The species is extremely variable, and several varieties have been described from North American plants. These varieties, based on leaf shape and length, are believed to be environmental forms and are therefore included in the synonymy. A biometric analysis by P. L. Redfearn (1956) on the stem leaf variation reached a similar conclusion.

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

Isopterygium tenerifolium is known in the flora area from only one recent collection from Mississippi (Lauderdale County, eastern shore of Chunky River at Stukey Bridge, 32°15'N, 88°52'W, 30 September 1992, Buck 22129 CANM, NY). The species is morphologically close to I. tenerum, differing by the somewhat larger plants, stems often 2–4 cm, leaves 1–1.5 mm and usually wrinkled and contorted when dry, and seta 2–3 cm. The collection in CANM contains only one plant with an undeveloped sporophyte that has a seta of 2 cm; fully developed sporophytes remain unseen in the flora area. The species should be sought elsewhere in the Gulf Coast region where other populations likely occur.

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

Source FNA vol. 28, p. 553. FNA vol. 28, p. 553.
Parent taxa Hypnaceae > Isopterygium Hypnaceae > Isopterygium
Sibling taxa
I. tenerifolium
I. tenerum
Synonyms Hypnum tenerum, H. albulum, H. chapmanii, H. fulvum, H. micans, I. drummondii, I. fulvum, I. groutii, I. micans, I. micans var. latifolium, I. micans var. minus, Isothecium tenerum, Plagiothecium fulvum, P. groutii, P. micans, P. micans var. fulvum, Rhaphidostegium ludovicianum, Rhynchostegium micans
Name authority (Swartz) Mitten: J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 499. (1869) Mitten: J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 12: 499. (1869)
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