Flora of North America species comparison

5–15 mm.

simple or forked, epidermal cells differentiated in 1–3 layers, central strand usually present.

clasping at base, infolded and twisted around the stem when dry, wide-spreading (in smaller forms) to squarrose-recurved when moist, lingulate-ovate, 1.5–3.5 × 0.75–1.25 mm, canaliculate to keeled;

margins tightly revolute in the proximal 7/8 or more, entire;

apices emarginate to acute;

costa excurrent into a serrate (or occasionally only faintly serrulate), hyaline awn that is often red or sometimes broadly hyaline at base, weakly to strongly papillose on the abaxial surface and often serrate near the apex because of projecting cell ends, red-brown;

basal cells abruptly differentiated, narrowly rectangular, 35–70(–90) × 11–18 µm, quadrate to narrowly rectangular at the margins;

distal cells quadrate to polygonal, 8–12 µm, with 3–6 papillae per cell, bulging, somewhat obscure.

appressed and variously twisted when dry, erect-spreading to squarrose when moist, obovate, spatulate, or lingulate, rarely broadly oblong-lanceolate;

margins plane or revolute, usually entire;

apices acute to truncate or emarginate, and often apiculate;

costa generally strong, percurrent to long-excurrent as a hyaline or colored awn, usually rounded abaxailly, in section showing 1 median layer of large guide cells, 1–3 layers of smaller adaxial cells, a weak or strong abaxial stereid band, and sometimes a group of hydroids, but no abaxial epidermis of larger cells;

basal cells abruptly differentiated, large and rectangular, smooth, hyaline, thin-walled, often lax;

distal cells quadrate or sometimes slightly longer than wide, small and obscure to large and lax, usually pluripapillose on both surfaces, rarely 1-papillose only on the abaxial surface;

marginal cells sometimes differentiated, thicker-walled and colored or pale.

red, 5–10 mm.

red or brown, elongate, smooth.

dioicous.

dioicous, autoicous, or synoicous;

perigonial bracts often short, ovate or oblong-lingulate, blunt, with costa often ending before the apex, perichaetia terminal, the bracts not differentiated.

red-brown, 2–3.5 mm, straight, with an abrupt neck;

operculum 1.25–1.75 mm, brown;

peristome ca. 1.25 mm, the upper divisions twisted ca. 2 turns, red, the basal membrane white, about 1/3 the total length.

erect, straight or slightly curved, red or brown, cylindric, sometimes with a distinct neck, usually striolate when dry;

operculum conic, straight or slightly oblique, shorter than the urn;

peristome consisting of 32 filiform, reddish, papillose divisions slightly to strongly twisted together above a pale, tessellated basal membrane 1/6–2/3 the total length of the peristome.

long-cucullate, acute, yellow or brown.

11–15 µm, papillose.

finely to strongly papillose.

asexual reproduction absent.

asexual reproduction often present, propagula borne on the lamina or costa, in leaf axils, or on rhizoids, in shape leaflike, spherical, or cylindric.

laminal color reaction brick-red.