Tetraplodon mnioides
Tetraplodon paradoxus
entireleaf nitrogen moss, slender cruet-moss
Paradox nitrogen moss
oblong-ovate, concave, 1–2 × 3–5 mm;
margins entire;
apex abruptly subulate;
costa vanishing in subula;
distal laminal cells rectangular to oblong-hexagonal, 20 × 35 µm.
ovate, concave, 2–5 mm;
margins entire or nearly so;
apex acuminate;
costa ending in subula;
distal laminal cells hexagonal, 30 µm.
stramineous, usually dark red with age, 1–5 cm.
clear pale yellow to stramineous, 2–3.5 cm.
autoicous.
autoicous.
not cleistocarpous, red, dark or black with age, long-ovate;
hypophysis somewhat wider than urn distally;
stomata over whole of hypophysis;
operculum bluntly conic.
cleistocarpous, clear pale yellow to stramineous, spindle- or club-shaped;
hypophysis conspicuously narrower than urn;
stomata confined to distal hypophysis;
operculum not developed.
conic-mitrate.
cucullate or conic-mitrate.
9–12 µm, smooth or slightly papillose.
9 µm, smooth.
Tetraplodon mnioides
Tetraplodon paradoxus
Tetraplodon mnioides is much more common than other species of the genus and is readily distinguished; the plants differ from those of T. angustatus by their larger tufts and longer sporophytes, which are dark red, becoming black with age. Sterile plants of T. mnioides differ from those of T. angustatus by their oblong-ovate, abruptly subulate leaves with entire margins, whereas those of T. angustatus are oblong-lanceolate, gradually subulate, and serrate. The distal laminal cell walls of T. mnioides are rather thin.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Tetraplodon paradoxus is much confused in the literature with T. pallidus (W. C. Steere 1977), although the two are easily distinguished. Tetraplodon paradoxus is cleistocarpous, the setae are longer (to twice as long), leaves smaller and more narrow, and capsules are darker and spindle- or club-shaped, with the hypophysis noticeably narrower than the urn and having fewer stomata. Steere suggested that spore dispersal to fresh dung might occur when the sporophytes are ingested by caribou or muskoxen and the spores subsequently dropped in dung at some other location.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
BC
Flora NW
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