Flora of North America species comparison

leaves erect-appressed and straight when dry, ligulate, elongate- to ovate-lanceolate, 2–4 mm;

margins recurved-revolute to just below apex, entire;

apex acute;

basal laminal cells long-rectangular to elongate, walls thick, nodose;

distal cells 9–13 µm, 1-stratose, papillae 2 or 3 per cell, 2-fid, low.

erect-ascending and often 2-fid, or creeping, branches many, erect or ascending, simple or 2-fid;

outer cell walls thick, central strand absent, inner cells uniform, walls thin.

erect-appressed, crowded, spirally twisted, flexuose, crisped, or contorted when dry, erect-spreading to squarrose-recurved when moist, ovate-lanceolate, ligulate-oblong, or lanceolate-linear, ± channeled;

base not decurrent (decurrent in Zygodon);

margins usually plane to revolute, rarely involute to erect, entire or sometimes denticulate near apex;

apex rounded-obtuse, acute, occasionally acuminate, apiculate, or awned;

costa strong, ending near apex;

alar cells rarely differentiated;

basal laminal cells rectangular, elongate-linear, quadrate, rounded, or elliptic;

distal cells rounded-hexagonal, rarely rectangular, usually small, papillae 1–4(–6) per cell, conic or 2-fid, rarely smooth or mammillose, walls often incrassate.

1–2.2 mm.

erect, dextrorse or sinistrorse, smooth or rarely rough.

gonioautoicous.

usually gonioautoicous or dioicous, rarely pseudautoicous or cladautoicous;

perigonia terminal or lateral, sometimes occurring on dwarf male plants, budlike, large;

perichaetia terminal, further branching occurring by innovations, perichaetial leaves sometimes larger than stem leaves.

1/2 emergent to short-exserted, long-cylindric when mature, cylindric and constricted along entire length when old and dry, 1.6–2.5 mm, strongly 8-ribbed 2/3 capsule length;

stomata superficial;

peristome double;

prostome absent;

exostome teeth 8, erect when mature, reflexed to reflexed-recurved when old, coarsely and obscurely papillose or sometimes papillose-reticulate, deeply perforate, cancellate;

endostome segments 8, rarely 16, well developed, usually present when capsule is old and dry, narrow, of 2 rows of cells, papillose.

erect, immersed, emergent, or exserted, ovate to cylindric-fusiform, symmetric, smooth or 8-ribbed, rarely 16-ribbed, sometimes constricted below mouth;

exothecial cells rectangular to elliptic, often differentiated into bands;

stomata superficial or immersed, usually below mid capsule, well developed;

annulus poorly developed or absent;

operculum convex to conic, rostrate;

peristome double, single, rudimentary or rarely absent;

prostome sometimes present, usually fragmentary;

exostome teeth 16, usually connate in 8 pairs, erect, recurved, or reflexed, lanceolate, thick, densely papillose or striate;

endostome segments 8 or 16 when present, hyaline, thin, linear-lanceolate, alternating with exostome teeth or connate to form rudimentary membrane, cilia absent.

conic-oblong, smooth, hairs few, papillose.

mitrate or rarely cucullate, usually large and conspicuous, hairy or naked, plicate or not.

15–18 µm.

isosporous or anisosporous.

asexual reproduction absent.

asexual reproduction occasional, by gemmae.