Flora of North America species comparison

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Ptychomitrium gardneri

Ptychomitrium serratum

Gardner's ptychomitrium moss

serrate ptychomitrium moss
Habit Plants robust, tufted, glossy, green to dark green. Plants medium-sized, tufted or cespitose, glossy, dark green.
Stems

erect or repent, to 5 cm.

erect or repent, to 1.5 cm.
Leaves

crispate-contorted when dry, narrowly acuminate, 4–6 mm;

margins coarsely serrate distally, recurved on one or both sides proximally;

apex plane or with erect margins but not cucullate.

crispate when dry, broadly acute to acuminate, 3–4 mm;

margins coarsely serrate distally, erect or irregularly recurved proximally;

apex plane or with erect margins but not cucullate.
Seta

1–2(–3) per perichaetium, 4–10 mm.

1(–4) per perichaetium, 3–4 mm.
Capsule

cylindric, 2.5 mm, smooth to weakly striate-ribbed when dry;

peristome teeth divided into filiform segments, densely papillose.

cylindric, 2–2.4 mm, smooth to slightly or prominently wrinkled or ribbed when dry;

peristome teeth divided into filiform segments, densely papillose.
Calyptra

lobes 1/2 or more length of calyptra.

lobes less than 1/2 length of calyptra.
Specialized

asexual reproduction absent.

asexual reproduction absent.

Ptychomitrium gardneri

Ptychomitrium serratum
Phenology Capsules mature Mar–Sep. Capsules mature Mar–Apr, Dec.
Habitat Limestone, basalt, and other rocks, and concrete, rarely soil, logs, and charred wood, open sites, especially along rivers Calcareous rock and concrete in forests
Elevation low to moderate elevations (0-1400 m) (low to moderate elevations (0-4600 ft)) low to high elevations (0-2200 m) (low to high elevations (0-7200 ft))
Distribution
from FNA
CA; ID; MT; OR; WA; BC; Asia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
LA; SC; TX; Mexico; West Indies (Dominican Republic)
Discussion

Ptychomitrium gardneri are robust glossy plants easy to recognize by their green to dark green color, serrate, acuminate leaves, and narrow lobes of the deeply divided calyptra. The lobes of dry mature calyptrae often spread outward like the spokes of a wheel. The leaves are much longer and more narrowly acuminate than those of the somewhat similar P. serratum; the ranges of the latter and of P. gardneri do not overlap.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 27, p. 308. FNA vol. 27, p. 308.
Parent taxa Ptychomitriaceae > Ptychomitrium Ptychomitriaceae > Ptychomitrium
Sibling taxa
P. drummondii, P. incurvum, P. serratum, P. sinense
P. drummondii, P. gardneri, P. incurvum, P. sinense
Synonyms Brachysteleum serratum
Name authority Lesquereux: Mem. Calif. Acad. Sci. 1: 16. (1868) Bruch & Schimper: Bryol. Europ. 3: 82. (1837)
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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