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tortula moss, wall screw-moss

Habit Plants green to tan.
Stem

central strand usually present, sclerodermis and hyalodermis commonly absent.

Leaves

ovate or elliptic to obovate, apex broadly acute to rounded or emarginate, short- to long-awned, margins narrowly recurved or revolute to near apex, commonly bordered distally with 2–4 rows of thicker-walled, papillose to smooth cells;

costa long-excurrent, lacking an adaxial pad of cells, distally narrow, 3–4(–6) cells across the convex adaxial surface;

distal laminal cells hexagonal, 10–15 µm wide, 1:1, strongly papillose with 2(–4)-fid papillae.

usually ovate or broadly ligulate to spathulate, apex usually rounded or broadly acute, margins recurved basally, distal laminal cells if 2-stratose stacked directly over one another, walls smooth or papillose, KOH yellow or red, occasionally orange, occasionally yellow distally and red basally;

costa with or without a differentiated abaxial epidermis;

gemmae largely absent.

Seta

0.6–1.5 cm.

Sexual condition

autoicous.

Capsule

stegocarpic, not systylius, cylindric, erect and nearly straight, urn 1.5–2.7 mm;

peristome 300 µm, teeth of 32 filaments twisted 1/2–2 times, basal membrane low, to 50 µm;

operculum 0.6–1 mm.

Spores

8–12 µm, spheric, finely papillose or essentially smooth.

Sporophytes

exerted.

Tortula muralis

Pottiaceae subfam. pottioideae

Phenology Capsules mature spring–summer.
Habitat Calcareous rock, often on bricks or walls
Elevation low to moderate elevations
Distribution
from FNA
AK; AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; DC; FL; GA; IA; KY; LA; MD; MI; MO; NC; ND; NJ; NV; NY; OK; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; UT; VA; WA; WV; BC; NF; NU; ON; West Indies; s South America; Europe; Asia; Africa; Atlantic Islands; Pacific Islands (New Zealand); Australia
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Worldwide
Discussion

Tortula muralis, T. brevipes, and T. plinthobia form an apparently intergrading cline in sporophyte characters, sexual condition, and elaboration of the leaf border. There may be evolutionary advantages associated with such variability, but specimens are occasionally difficult to name satisfactorily. The laminal border of 2–4 rows of thicker walled cells is usually hidden in the margin recurvature except at the leaf apex.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Genera 21 (15 in the flora).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 595. FNA vol. 27, p. 585.
Parent taxa Pottiaceae > subfam. Pottioideae > Tortula Pottiaceae
Sibling taxa
T. acaulon, T. amplexa, T. atrovirens, T. bolanderi, T. brevipes, T. californica, T. cernua, T. cuneifolia, T. deciduidentata, T. guepinii, T. hoppeana, T. inermis, T. lanceola, T. laureri, T. leucostoma, T. modica, T. mucronifolia, T. nevadensis, T. obtusifolia, T. plinthobia, T. porteri, T. protobryoides, T. subulata, T. systylia, T. truncata
Subordinate taxa
Name authority Hedwig: Sp. Musc. Frond., 123. (1801) Brotherus: in H. G. A. Engler et al., Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2, 10: 282. (1924)
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