Flora of North America species comparison

(1–)3–10(–13) cm, creeping, decumbent to ± erect, mostly pinnately branched with short, tuft-like branchlets, usually distinctly recurved at the apex.

imbricate, not altered on drying, recurved when moist, ovate-lanceolate to subtriangular, indistinctly plicate, 2–3.2 × 0.8–1.2 mm;

margins broadly recurved throughout;

apices sharply carinate, most often piliferous, awns recurved to reflexed, subulate, strongly denticulate, mostly long-decurrent, slightly to distinctly papillose distally, strongly papillose basally with high and narrow papillae;

costa percurrent, situated at the base of a moderately deep, wide-angled channel and strongly flattened basaly, 75–100 µm wide;

basal laminal cells long-rectangular, 20–50 × 4–6 µm, moderately thick-walled, nodulose, papillose with large papillae, except for 1–4 rows of epapillose cells at the insertion;

alar cells hyaline, thin-walled in 3–5 rows, forming a sharply delimited, convex group;

supra-alar cells short, thick- and sinuose-walled, forming non-transparent border of 6–10 cells;

medial and distal laminal cells subquadrate to rectangular, 6–20 × 5–8 µm, distinctly papillose.

brown, glistening, 10–15 mm.

brown, long-cylindric, 1.4–1.8 mm, sulcate when dry;

peristome teeth 650–800 µm long, reddish brown to red, split to the base into 2 filiform prongs, densely papillose.

9–11 µm.

perichaetial leaves hyaline, piliferous.