Flora of North America species comparison

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Orthotrichum obtusifolium

blunt-leaf bristle-moss, obtuse-leaf aspen moss
Habit Plants 0.3–1.4 cm.
Stem

leaves erect-appressed when dry, ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 1.4–2 mm;

margins erect-incurved, entire;

apex obtuse;

basal laminal cells ± rectangular, walls thick, not nodose;

distal cells 13–18(–20) µm, 1-stratose, papillae 1 per cell, conic, large.
Seta

0.5 mm.
Sexual condition

dioicous.
Capsule

1/2 emergent, oblong-cylindric, 1.6–2 mm, strongly 8-ribbed to base;

stomata superficial;

peristome double;

prostome absent;

exostome teeth 8, reflexed, evenly papillose, sometimes irregularly striate distally;

endostome segments 8, well developed, of 2 rows of cells, smooth.
Calyptra

short-conic, papillose, naked, not plicate.
Spores

20–25 µm.
Specialized

asexual reproduction by gemmae on both surfaces of leaf.

Orthotrichum obtusifolium
Habitat Trunks of Populus, Juniperus, aspen, base of scrub oaks, river bottoms
Elevation low to high elevations (10-2000 m) (low to high elevations (0-6600 ft))
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; IA; ID; MD; ME; MI; MN; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NM; NY; OR; PA; SD; UT; VT; WA; WI; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Europe; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
Discussion

Orthotrichum obtusifolium is a pronounced xerophyte growing only in pioneer situations. This species might be confused with O. exiguum, O. flowersii, and O. gymnostomum, but these species do not have distal laminal cells with one papilla per cell as do those of O. obtusifolium. In addition, O. exiguum and O. flowersii have reflexed to revolute leaf margins, and both are autoicous. Orthotrichum gymnostomum has distinctly involute leaf margins and concave leaves and is dioicous. The capsule stomata of O. obtusifolium are found at or beyond mid capsule.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 28, p. 59.
Parent taxa Orthotrichaceae > Orthotrichum
Sibling taxa
O. affine, O. alpestre, O. anodon, O. anomalum, O. bartramii, O. bolanderi, O. consimile, O. cupulatum, O. diaphanum, O. elegans, O. euryphyllum, O. exiguum, O. fenestratum, O. flowersii, O. gymnostomum, O. hallii, O. holzingeri, O. keeverae, O. kellmanii, O. laevigatum, O. lescurii, O. lyellii, O. norrisii, O. ohioense, O. pallens, O. parvulum, O. pellucidum, O. praemorsum, O. pulchellum, O. pumilum, O. pusillum, O. pycnophyllum, O. pylaisii, O. rivulare, O. rupestre, O. shawii, O. shevockii, O. sordidum, O. speciosum, O. spjutii, O. stellatum, O. stramineum, O. strangulatum, O. striatum, O. tenellum, O. underwoodii
Synonyms Nyholmiella obtusifolia, O. inflexum
Name authority Bridel: Muscol. Recent. 2(2): 23. (1801)
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).



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