Flora of North America species comparison

5–20 mm.

2–15(–25) mm.

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 only slightly contorted when dry, erect-spreading when moist, variable in shape and size, narrowly or broadly spatulate, (1.5–)2–3(–4) × 0.75–1.5 mm;

margins revolute in the proximal 1/2–3/4, entire;

apices acute to acuminate;

costa ending a few cells before the apex or percurrent, yellow or brown, smooth;

basal cells abruptly differentiated, narrower toward the margins;

distal cells rounded, polygonal, or quadrate, 11–14 µm (or slightly elongate and 13–22 µm), with 3–6 low or high papillae per cell, thick-walled and collenchymatous;

marginal cells in several rows smaller and smoother with thicker, often colored walls.

red, 10–18 mm.

synoicous (apparently rarely dioicous).

dioicous.

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, 2–3(–3.5) mm, straight or slightly curved, with a distinct neck;

operculum 1–1.5 mm;

peristome 0.5–1 mm, basal membrane 1/6–1/5 the total length, teeth irregularly twisted and contorted (crumpled) when dry, widely spreading or reflexed when moist, red.

9–13 µm, papillose.

18–22 µm, strongly papillose.]

asexual reproduction absent.

asexual reproduction as gemmae on the adaxial or occasionally the abaxial leaf surface of leaves, cylindric, rounded at the ends, up to 50 (rarely 200) µm, brown when mature, multicellular.