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nodding pohlia, nodding thread-moss, pohlia moss

blunt-bud pohlia, blunt-bud thread-moss, pohlia moss

Habit Plants small to large, green or rarely reddish, dull. Plants small to medium-sized, green, glossy.
Stems

0.5–3.5(–10) cm.

0.3–3 cm.

Leaves

erect to ± spreading, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 2 mm;

base not or scarcely decurrent;

margins subentire or more often serrulate to serrate in distal 1/3;

costa subpercurrent, percurrent, or rarely short-excurrent;

distal medial laminal cells hexagonal to rhomboidal, firm, 50–90 µm, walls moderately thick.

± erect, lanceolate, 0.9–1.4 mm;

margins serrulate to serrate in distal 1/3;

costa subpercurrent;

distal medial laminal cells rhombic to rhomboidal, 65–95 µm, walls thin.

Seta

orange to orange-brown.

orange-brown.

Sexual condition

paroicous, rarely dioicous;

perigonial leaves ovate-lanceolate;

perichaetial leaves somewhat differentiated, ± long-lanceolate.

dioicous;

perigonial leaves ovate;

perichaetial leaves scarcely differentiated, lanceolate.

Capsule

inclined 80–100°, orange to orange-brown, slender-pyriform, neck 1/2 urn length;

exothecial cells elongate-rectangular, walls straight;

stomata superficial;

annulus present;

operculum conic;

exostome teeth yellow to orange-brown, acute-triangular;

endostome hyaline or rarely orange-brown, basal membrane 1/2 exostome length, segments tapered apically, broadly keeled, broadly perforate, cilia short to long.

inclined 95–180°, brown to stramineous, pyriform, neck 1/3 urn length;

exothecial cells short-rectangular, walls sinuate;

stomata superficial;

annulus present;

operculum convex-conic;

exostome teeth yellow-brown, narrowly triangular-acute;

endostome hyaline, basal membrane 1/2 exostome length, segments distinctly keeled, broadly perforate, cilia short to rudimentary.

Spores

16–22 µm, finely to distinctly roughened.

16–21 µm, finely roughened.

Specialized

asexual reproduction typically absent.

asexual reproduction usually present when sterile;

axillary gemmae 2–6, spheroid to obovate, shorter than leaves, yellow, orange, or green, leaf primordia restricted to apex and forming dome, laminate.

Pohlia nutans

Pohlia bulbifera

Phenology Capsules mature spring (Apr–Jun). Capsules mature summer (Jun–Aug).
Habitat Soil banks, logs, tree bases, disturbed places Acid, gravelly or sandy disturbed soil, path banks, stream banks, peaty soil
Elevation low to high elevations low to high elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DC; DE; FL; GA; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; MT; NC; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; NU; ON; PE; QC; SK; YT; Africa; Greenland; Eurasia; Mexico (Nuevo León); Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AK; CO; MA; ME; MI; NH; NY; VT; WA; WI; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; NT; ON; QC; Greenland; Eurasia
Discussion

Pohlia nutans is the most common species of Pohlia in North America, Europe, and elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere. In contrast to the treatment by A. J. Shaw (1982), P. sphagnicola is not separated here from P. nutans; the type of P. sphagnicola is European. Plants referable to P. sphagnicola, including North American collections, differ in being dioicous and having entire leaves, slightly shorter laminal cells, and smaller spores. The habitat in Sphagnum hummocks is not diagnostic; at least 80% of plants growing in Sphagnum are P. nutans. Pohlia schimperi, a northern form with reddish leaves, also dioicous, is not recognized, as per Shaw.

The peristome of Pohlia nutans is as well developed as any in Pohlia, with long, tapered, trabeculate exostome teeth and well-developed endostomes with broadly keeled, widely perforate segments and short to long cilia. The laminal cells are short- to elongate-hexagonal with thickened walls. The only other North American species with relatively thick-walled laminal cells is P. elongata; the cells of P. elongata are typically longer, but there is extensive overlap in sizes. Plants without sporophytes have generally been named P. nutans, although some collections from montane regions may actually be P. elongata; sporophytes of P. elongata have longer necks, as long as or longer than the urns, and reduced peristomes with endostome segments narrowly split along the keel and (usually) no cilia.

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

The gemmae of Pohlia bulbifera appear to be round to oblong because the four or five laminate leaf primordia are concave and form a dome over the gemma apex. The leaves are wide-spreading so the gemmae, although small, can be seen clustered in the distal leaf axils. This species sometimes occurs on peaty soils in bogs but also occurs on gravelly soils in disturbed places.

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

Source FNA vol. 28, p. 196. FNA vol. 28, p. 206.
Parent taxa Mielichhoferiaceae > Pohlia Mielichhoferiaceae > Pohlia
Sibling taxa
P. andalusica, P. andrewsii, P. annotina, P. atropurpurea, P. beringiensis, P. bolanderi, P. brevinervis, P. bulbifera, P. camptotrachela, P. cardotii, P. columbica, P. cruda, P. crudoides, P. drummondii, P. elongata, P. erecta, P. filum, P. flexuosa, P. lescuriana, P. longibracteata, P. longicolla, P. ludwigii, P. melanodon, P. obtusifolia, P. pacifica, P. proligera, P. rabunbaldensis, P. robertsonii, P. tundrae, P. vexans, P. wahlenbergii
P. andalusica, P. andrewsii, P. annotina, P. atropurpurea, P. beringiensis, P. bolanderi, P. brevinervis, P. camptotrachela, P. cardotii, P. columbica, P. cruda, P. crudoides, P. drummondii, P. elongata, P. erecta, P. filum, P. flexuosa, P. lescuriana, P. longibracteata, P. longicolla, P. ludwigii, P. melanodon, P. nutans, P. obtusifolia, P. pacifica, P. proligera, P. rabunbaldensis, P. robertsonii, P. tundrae, P. vexans, P. wahlenbergii
Synonyms Webera nutans, P. sphagnicola Webera bulbifera
Name authority (Hedwig) Lindberg: Musc. Scand., 18. (1879) (Warnstorf) Warnstorf: in C. F. Warnstorf et al., Krypt.-Fl. Brandenburg 1: 429. (1904)
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