Syntrichia princeps |
Syntrichia latifolia |
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tortula moss |
wideleaf tortula moss |
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Stems | 5–20 mm. |
4–12 mm. |
Leaves | usually in distinct whorls, infolded, somewhat contorted, and weakly to strongly twisted around the stem when dry, wide-spreading to slightly recurved when moist, concave, spatulate, 2–4 × 1–1.5 mm; margins revolute in the proximal 1/2–3/4, entire; apices acute or sometimes truncate; costa excurrent into a long, serrate, hyaline awn (reddish at base), often strongly papillose abaxially and serrulate near the apex because of projecting cell ends, red; basal cells abruptly differentiated, long-rectangular, 45–80 × 20–30 µm, short-rectangular to quadrate at the margins; distal cells quadrate to hexagonal, 12–17 µm, slightly bulging, bearing 4–6 papillae per cell. |
infolded, twisted, and slightly contorted when dry, erect-spreading when moist, narrowly or broadly spatulate, 1.8–2.8 × 0.6–0.8 mm; margins revolute in the proximal 1/2, entire; apices obtuse; costa ending a few cells before the apex or percurrent, brown, smooth; basal cells abruptly differentiated, narrower toward the margins; distal cells rounded, polygonal, or quadrate, 12–18 µm, with 4–6 papillae per cell. |
Seta | red, 10–18 mm. |
red, 6 mm. |
Sexual condition | synoicous (apparently rarely dioicous). |
dioicous. |
Capsule | brownish red, 3–4 mm, slightly curved, with a distinct neck; operculum 1.5–2 mm, brown; peristome ca. 1.5 mm, the distal divisions twisted about 2 turns, red, the basal membrane white, 1/2–2/3 the total length. |
red, 3 mm, straight, with a distinct neck; operculum 1.5–2mm, red; peristome 1 mm, basal membrane 1/2–2/3 the total length, red. |
Spores | 9–13 µm, papillose. |
10–15 µm, papillose. |
Specialized | asexual reproduction absent. |
asexual reproduction by gemmae on the adaxial or occasionally the abaxial leaf surface of leaves, ovoid and rounded, 25–45 µm in diameter, green to brown, multicellular. |
Syntrichia princeps |
Syntrichia latifolia |
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Habitat | Humus, soil, rock, tree bark | Bark of trees, rarely on rocks |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | low to high elevations |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; BC; Mexico; w South America; s South America; Europe; w Asia; Africa; Pacific Islands (Hawaii, New Zealand); Australia; Antarctica
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AZ; CA; OR; WA; BC; Europe |
Discussion | The synoicous condition of Syntrichia princeps is diagnostic if present, but otherwise one must rely on wider basal leaf cells, costal hydroids, and the stem central strand to separate this species from S. ruralis, S. papillosissima, and S. norvegica. The more acute leaves with cells generally smaller, and costa reddish and serrulate separate it from S. obtusissima. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 624. | FNA vol. 27, p. 620. |
Parent taxa | Pottiaceae > subfam. Pottioideae > Syntrichia | Pottiaceae > subfam. Pottioideae > Syntrichia |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Tortula princeps | Tortula latifolia |
Name authority | (De Notaris) Mitten: J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot., suppl. 1: 39. (1859) | (Bruch ex Hartman) Huebener: Muscol. Germ., 342. (1833) |
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