Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans |
Pseudotaxiphyllum homomallifolium |
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elegant pseudotaxiphyllum moss, small flat-moss |
pseudotaxiphyllum moss |
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Habit | Plants in thin to dense mats, dark green to yellowish. | Plants in thin to dense mats, yellowish. |
Stems | 3.5 cm, 1–2.5 mm wide, complanate-foliate. |
1.5 cm, 1–2 mm wide, occasionally complanate-foliate. |
Leaves | erect-spreading or sometimes secund with apices pointing toward substrate, not upturned-homomallous, close to somewhat distant, lanceolate, ovate- or oblong-lanceolate, symmetric, smooth or weakly undulate, 0.3–2 × 0.2–0.7 mm; margins plane, serrulate to entire proximally, serrulate to strongly serrate distally; apex acuminate; costa double, strong; alar cells undifferentiated or quadrate to rectangular, 1–3 on margins; medial laminal cells 48–100 × 4–7 µm; distal cells sometimes minutely prorulose at distal ends on abaxial surface. |
erect-spreading, upturned-homomallous, distant to close and overlapping, lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, symmetric, smooth, 0.8–1.2 × 0.3–0.5 mm; margins plane, serrulate nearly to base; apex long-acuminate; ecostate or costa double, weak; alar cells poorly differentiated, few short-rectangular cells often present; medial laminal cells 60–120 × 5–9 µm; distal cells smooth. |
Seta | 1–2.5 cm. |
0.8–1.6 cm. |
Sexual condition | dioicous. |
autoicous. |
Capsule | cernuous to pendulous, oblong-ovoid to ovoid, 1–2 mm; operculum conic to short-rostrate. |
erect, horizontal, or slightly cernuous, ellipsoid, 1.4–1.7 mm; operculum long-conic to short-rostrate. |
Spores | 7–12 µm. |
9–16 µm. |
Specialized | asexual reproduction present as propagula clustered in leaf axils below stem apices, 0.5–1.5 mm, yellow to green, not twisted-vermiform, resembling parent plant but smaller, bearing reduced leaves from apex to base of stems. |
asexual reproduction absent. |
Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans |
Pseudotaxiphyllum homomallifolium |
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Phenology | Capsules mature spring–summer. | Capsules mature spring–summer. |
Habitat | Woods, acidic rock and soil, humus, base of trees, rotten logs | Rock, under rock ledges |
Elevation | low to high elevations (0-2000 m) (low to high elevations (0-6600 ft)) | moderate to high elevations (1400-2000 m) (moderate to high elevations (4600-6600 ft)) |
Distribution |
AK; AL; AR; CA; CT; DE; GA; ID; IL; IN; KY; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OR; PA; SC; TN; VA; VT; WA; WV; BC; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; YT; s South America (Argentina)y
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AZ; NM; TX; Mexico (Sonora) |
Discussion | Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans is morphologically similar to 2. P. distichaceum. For distinctions, see discussion of that species. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Pseudotaxiphyllum homomallifolium occurs in Cochise, Navajo, and Santa Cruz counties in Arizona, Doña Ana County, New Mexico, and Kimble County, Texas. Pseudotaxiphyllum homomallifolium is distinguished from the other two species of the genus by its long-acuminate, upturned-homomallous leaves with broad laminal cells. The plants somewhat resemble Campylium, but the leaf apices are not channeled like the leaves of that genus. Foliose pseudoparaphyllia were attributed to P. homomallifolium when Redfearn described the species, but these are probably not pseudoparaphyllia. The multicellular structures rarely found on the stems appear to be part of a developing branch primordium because they sometimes are not even evident, and they are not located on the stems at the bases of mature branches as are typical pseudoparaphyllia. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 28, p. 561. | FNA vol. 28, p. 560. |
Parent taxa | Hypnaceae > Pseudotaxiphyllum | Hypnaceae > Pseudotaxiphyllum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Isothecium elegans, H. borrerianum, Isopterygium elegans, Plagiothecium elegans, P. elegans var. gracilens, P. elegans var. schimperi, P. elegans var. terrestre | Isopterygium homomallifolium |
Name authority | (Bridel) Z. Iwatsuki: J. Hattori Bot. Lab. 63: 449. (1987) | (Redfearn) Ireland: Caldasia 16: 267. (1991) |
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