Flora of North America species comparison

not readily fragmenting, prostrate, upperside and underside structurally different, irregularly forked;

branches determinate, tips upturned.

conspicuously dimorphic, in 8 ranks, tightly appressed, ascending, green;

abaxial ridges present;

apex with deciduous, twisted, transparent bristle ± 0.3 mm, becoming acute to slightly mucronate in oldest branches.

thick and stiff.

solitary, 3–8 mm;

sporophylls ovate-deltate, abaxial ridges not prominent, base glabrous, margins ciliate, apex acute to mucronate.

solitary, 3–12 mm;

sporophylls monomorphic, deltate-ovate, slightly keeled, keel not dentate, base pubescent, margins transparent, short-ciliate at base, denticulate toward apex, apex acuminate to acute.

borne on upperside of stems, throughout stem length, 0.2 mm diam.

borne on upperside of stems, restricted to basal part of rosette, 0.3–0.5 mm diam.

leaves lanceolate to lanceolate-elliptic (on central ranks) or falcate (on marginal ranks), 2–2.7 × 0.5–0.7 mm;

base decurrent, glabrous;

margins ciliate, cilia transparent to opaque, spreading, 0.04–0.1 mm.

leaves lanceolate, 1.3–1.4 × 0.3–0.4 mm;

base abruptly adnate, pubescent, hairs often running along groove;

margins ciliate, cilia transparent to opaque, spreading, ca. 0.1 mm.

(central) stem spirally compact, branched, branches 2–3-forked, prostrate, flat when moist, curling inward when dry (ball-like), not articulate, weakly puberulent.

leaves yellow to reddish on abaxial surface, green on adaxial surface, overlapping, ascending, deltate to deltate-ovate, 2–2.2 X (1–)1.7–1.8 mm;

base nearly cordate, pubescent;

margins transparent, ciliate toward base, dentate to ciliate toward apex;

apex rounded.

leaves broadly ovate, 1.5–1.7 × 1.4–1.5 mm;

base nearly cordate to truncate, pubescent;

margins transparent, ciliate toward base, dentate to ciliate toward apex;

apex abruptly acuminate (short-cuspidate) to obtuse.