Flora of North America species comparison

5–20 mm.

2–6 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 to squarrose-recurved when moist, spatulate, 1.5–2.5 × 0.6–0.8(–1) mm, distally 2-stratose, occasionally with 1-stratose patches;

margins plane, entire;

apices acute to truncate;

costa excurrent into a short, 0.02–0.1 mm mucro, red, rounded and sharply serrate with hyaline teeth abaxially;

basal cells abruptly differentiated, those near the margin smaller, short-rectangular;

distal cells hexagonal to irregularly polygonal, or isodiametric, 8–12(–13) µm, densely papillose with 3–5 papillae per cell, bulging, moderately thick-walled, not collenchymatous, obscure.

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 by propagula borne on stalks in axils of distal leaves, leaf-like, squarrose-recurved, 0.25–0.45 mm, green, papillose, costate, with an apiculus of 1-several elongate, smooth cells.