Flora of North America species comparison

1.5–3(–6) cm high, usually unbranched, sparsely radiculose at or near the base.

(2–)3–8(–20) cm, mostly unbranched.

6–10 mm, erect and loosely appressed with recurved tips when dry, spreading and broadly recurved when moist;

sheath ovoid, hyaline-margined, golden brown, contracted to the blade, the cells at the shoulders forming a differentiated hinge;

blade long-lanceolate, coarsely toothed at least in distal 2/3, acuminate, ending in a short, reddish, toothed awn;

costa shortly excurrent, sparsely toothed abaxially near the tip;

marginal lamina 1-stratose, narrow, mostly erect;

lamellae 6–7 cells high, entire in side view, with nearly straight sides when viewed from above, the terminal cells in section rounded or more often transversely elliptical, ± flat-topped, with a much smaller lumen than the others and the free wall conspicuously thickened, often brownish, smooth, sometimes finely striate-papillose;

sheath cells 40–50 × 16–20 µm (3:1);

cells of marginal lamina 12–15 µm, subquadrate;

perichaetial leaves with long, sheathing bases and conspicuous golden yellow awns.

6–8(–12) mm, erect to erect-spreading when dry, spreading to subsquarrose and broadly recurved when moist;

sheath ovate to elliptic, yellowish, hyaline-margined, gradually tapering or abruptly contracted to the blade, the cells at the shoulders forming a differentiated hinge;

blade lanceolate to linear;

costa prominent abaxially and toothed near the tip;

excurrent as a short, toothed point;

marginal lamina erect, (2–)3–5(–10) cells wide, plane or erect, sharply toothed from apex nearly to the sheath;

lamellae (3–)4–5(–7) cells high, margins ± entire to finely serrulate in profile, the marginal cells in section rounded to narrowly elliptic and somewhat taller than the cells beneath, the cell walls not or moderately thickened;

median cells of sheath 8–12 µm wide, narrowly rectangular, 5–7(–10):1;

cells of marginal lamina subquadrate, 10–15 µm. Sexual condition dioicous or polygamous;

perichaetial leaves similar to the foliage leaves, or somewhat longer, with a longer sheath.

2–9 cm, stout, yellowish, much longer than the leafy shoots.

3–6 cm, yellowish to reddish brown.

3–5 mm, pale brown, suberect to strongly inclined, 4-angled;

hypophysis cylindric but not sharply delimited;

exothecial cells not bulging or mammillose, without a central thin spot;

stomata numerous, on the distal part of the hypophysis;

peristome 300 µm, divided to 0.6, the teeth ca. 50, pale brown.

4–7 mm, rather slender or short-rectangular, acutely 4(–6)-angled, inclined to almost horizontal, pale yellowish brown to brownish;

hypophysis cylindric, indistinctly delimited or set off by a shallow groove;

exothecium smooth or the cells weakly convex, quadrate to hexagonal, without a central thin spot;

peristome 600 µm, divided to 0.6, the teeth 64 and highly regular in form or fewer and somewhat irregular, pale to brownish;

epiphragm absent marginal teeth.

11–14 µm.

12–16 µm.