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Habit Plants small, bright green. Plants small, red-green.
Stems

0.5–1.5 cm, distinctly singly rosulate, innovations short, rosulate.

0.5–2 cm, fertile stems evenly foliate to weakly rosulate, innovations evenly foliate.

Leaves

of main rosette and innovations similar, regularly spirally twisted around stem, erect-spreading when moist, obovate, weakly concave, 0.5–2.5 mm;

base not decurrent;

margins recurved to mid leaf, distinctly serrulate distally, limbidium present, of 1–3 rows of cells;

apex acute;

costa long-excurrent, awn sometimes hyaline, slender, irregularly twisted when dry;

proximal laminal cells long-rectangular in rosette leaves;

medial and distal cells short-rhomboidal, 12–25 µm wide, 3–4:1, walls thin, not porose.

of main rosette and innovations similar, innovation leaves smaller;

somewhat irregularly twisted to contorted when dry, erect-spreading when moist, ovate, weakly concave, 1–2 mm;

base not decurrent;

margins recurved to mid leaf, weakly but distinctly serrulate distally, limbidium moderately distinct, of 1 or 2 rows of cells;

apex acute;

costa excurrent, awn pigmented;

proximal laminal cells short-rectangular;

medial and distal cells rhomboidal, 14–20 µm wide, 3–4:1, walls thick, not porose.

Sexual condition

dioicous.

dioicous, synoicous, or autoicous.

Capsule

inclined, red-brown, cylindric to elongate-pyriform, 3–5 mm.

nutant, red to red-brown, cylindric, 2–3 mm.

Specialized

asexual reproduction by rhizoidal tubers, usually on long rhizoids away from stem base, red-brown, same color as rhizoids, 200–300 µm, smooth or almost so.

asexual reproduction by rhizoidal tubers, amber, orange, orange-red, or dark red, becoming orange-brown, pale brown, or dark brown when old, usually brighter than rhizoids, (120–)180–350 µm, cells not or only weakly protuberant.

Rosulabryum capillare

Rosulabryum bornholmense

Phenology Capsules mature May–Jul. Capsules mature Apr–Aug.
Habitat Moist shaded soil, soil banks, rotting wood Disturbed soil
Elevation low to high elevations (0-2500 m) (low to high elevations (0-8200 ft)) low elevations (100 m) (low elevations (300 ft))
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AR; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; IA; ID; IN; KY; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MT; ND; NE; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; SC; TN; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; WY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NL; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Mexico; Central America; South America; Atlantic Islands (including Macaronesia); Pacific Islands (New Zealand); Greenland; Africa; Eurasia; West Indies; Australia
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
CA; Europe [Introduced in North America]
Discussion

Traits diagnostic for the protean Rosulabryum capillare are leaves spirally twisted around the stem, long awn, distinct border, and serrulate margins, small size, rosulate innovations, and rhizoidal tubers the same color as the rhizoids. Rosulabryum gemmascens has irregularly contorted leaves with a much weaker border and nearly entire margins, and elongate somewhat imbricate innovations of small red-brown ovate leaves. Rosulabryum laevifilum has a much more variable costa that sometimes does not reach the apex, green leaves, and filiform gemmae. Rosulabryum torquescens has irregularly contorted leaves with strongly serrate margins and red to crimson tubers, brighter than the rhizoids, and is usually synoicous.

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

A. C. Crundwell and H. L. K. Whitehouse (2001) revised Rosulabryum bornholmense, providing new criteria to separate it from the closely related R. rubens. In addition to tuber and awn differences, the cells of the tubers in R. bornholmense are 45–60 µm wide, while those of R. rubens are 30–35 µm wide. Most North American collections can be referred to the latter species.

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

Source FNA vol. 28, p. 181. FNA vol. 28, p. 180.
Parent taxa Bryaceae > Rosulabryum Bryaceae > Rosulabryum
Sibling taxa
R. andersonii, R. andicola, R. bornholmense, R. canariense, R. elegans, R. erythroloma, R. flaccidum, R. gemmascens, R. laevifilum, R. pseudocapillare, R. rubens, R. torquescens
R. andersonii, R. andicola, R. canariense, R. capillare, R. elegans, R. erythroloma, R. flaccidum, R. gemmascens, R. laevifilum, R. pseudocapillare, R. rubens, R. torquescens
Synonyms Bryum capillare Bryum bornholmense
Name authority (Hedwig) J. R. Spence: Bryologist 99: 223. (1996) (Winkelmann & R. Ruthe) J. R. Spence: Novon 19: 398. (2009)
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