Flora of North America species comparison

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Scorpidium cossonii

intermediate hook-moss, intermediate scorpion moss
Habit Plants medium-sized to large (sometimes when submerged), rarely small, not turgid, green, yellow-green, brown, or brown-red.
Stem(s)

leaves ovate or broadly ovate, gradually or often abruptly narrowed to apex, ± suddenly curved distally, concave, 0.5–1.1 mm wide;

apex short- or long-acuminate, often apiculate;

costa single, ending beyond mid leaf;

alar cells 2–10(–15);

medial laminal cells (shorter 1/2 of leaf) 14–95(–120) µm, cell ends square, rounded, or short fusiform-narrowed.
Sexual condition

dioicous.
Capsule

with exostome external surface more than 70% dotted basally.

Scorpidium cossonii
Habitat Calcium-rich soil, bedrock, mountains, calcium-rich fens, springs, water-filled depressions, shores, submerged
Elevation low to high elevations (0-3700 m) (low to high elevations (0-12100 ft))
Distribution
from FNA
AK; CO; CT; IA; IL; ME; MI; MN; MT; NJ; NY; OH; VT; WI; AB; BC; MB; NF; NS; NT; NU; ON; QC; SK; YT; South America; Greenland; Eurasia; Pacific Islands (New Zealand)
Discussion

Scorpidium cossonii is often confused with S. revolvens or Hamatocaulis vernicosus. From the latter it is easily distinguished by the hyalodermis and usually present central strand of the stem, differentiated hyaline and inflated alar cells of the stem leaves, and nonplicate stem leaves. Scorpidium cossonii differs from S. revolvens in being dioicous (the latter is autoicous) and in having shorter medial laminal cells with square to shortly fusiform-narrowed ends; the cell ends are short to long fusiform-narrowed in the latter. Both species may have red pigment; in such cases S. cossonii is usually brownish red while S. revolvens is mostly blackish or purplish red. Due to variation in both species, especially when herbarium material is also considered, color should be used with care in identifying specimens. Dark purplish plants usually belong to S. revolvens and predominantly green or yellow-green plants with a brown-red costa and/or leaf base belong to S. cossonii.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 28, p. 388.
Parent taxa Calliergonaceae > Scorpidium
Sibling taxa
S. revolvens, S. scorpioides
Synonyms Hypnum cossonii, Drepanocladus intermedius, D. revolvens subsp. intermedius, D. revolvens var. intermedius, Limprichtia cossonii
Name authority (Schimper) Hedenas: Lindbergia 15: 18. (1989)
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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