Flora of North America species comparison

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Saelania glaucescens

blue dew-moss, saelania moss
Leaves

1–2.5(–3.5) mm, proximal leaves small, the distal and perichaetial leaves gradually acuminate, ± subulate from a lanceolate base;

costa with a single row of guide cells, and both adaxial and abaxial stereid bands, or adaxial stereid band sometimes weak or rarely absent;

lamina cells often irregularly 2-stratose towards the apex and occasionally elsewhere.
Seta

to 15 mm.
Capsule

with operculum to 1 mm.
Spores

15–20(–22) µm, greenish to yellow-brown.

Saelania glaucescens
Phenology Capsules mature early summer–late fall.
Habitat Soil on steep banks, particularly those protected by overhangs, frequent on roadsides, soil in sheltered rock crevices
Elevation moderate to high elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AZ; CO; IA; MI; MN; NE; NJ; NY; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; QC; YT; s Africa; Greenland; e Asia; n Eurasia; Pacific Islands (Hawaii, New Zealand)
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Discussion

The whitish to bluish coloration of the leaves is characteristic. Often thought to have been fungal or cyanobacterial in origin, the granular or thread-like surface material responsible for the glaucous coloration is a diterpene.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 27, p. 458.
Parent taxa Ditrichaceae > Saelania
Synonyms Trichostomum glaucescens
Name authority (Hedwig) Brotherus: in J. O. Bomansson and V. F. Brotherus, Herb. Mus. Fenn., Musci, 53. (1894)
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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