Flora of North America species comparison

5–20 mm.

2–10 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 and spirally twisted around the stem when dry, wide-spreading when moist, lingulate to spatulate, 1.25–2 × 0.5–0.75 mm;

margins plane, entire, except for papillose crenulations, not bordered;

apices acute to truncate or occasionally emarginate;

costa excurrent into a conspicuously tapered, serrate awn 0.1–0.6 mm, red or yellow, sparsely to densely spinulose abaxially;

basal cells abruptly differentiated, with somewhat thickened cross walls, those at the margins narrower;

distal cells irregularly polygonal, isodiametric, 9–13 µm, obscure, bulging and densely papillose, with 4–6 papillae per cell, moderately thick-walled and not collenchymatous.

red, 10–18 mm.

synoicous (apparently rarely dioicous).

dioicous (perigonia and sporophytes unknown).

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.

9–13 µm, papillose.

asexual reproduction absent.

asexual reproduction absent.