Tortula muralis |
Tortula laureri |
|
---|---|---|
tortula moss, wall screw-moss |
|
|
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. |
elliptic, apex broadly acute to rounded-acute, mucronate or apiculate, occasionally obtuse, margins recurved at mid leaf, bordered throughout or in lower 2/3 with 2(–3) rows of narrower, short- to long-rectangular, thicker-walled, somewhat less papillose cells that are 1–2-stratose; costa percurrent or short-excurrent, lacking an adaxial pad of cells, distally narrow, 3–4 cells across the convex adaxial surface; distal laminal cells hexagonal to rectangular, 16–21 µm wide, 1–2:1, strongly 2-fid papillose. |
Seta | 0.6–1.5 cm. |
0.9–1.5 cm. |
Sexual condition | autoicous. |
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. |
stegocarpic, not systylius, cylindric, horizontal or pendent, nearly straight, urn 1.8–2.5 mm; peristome 300–500 µm, teeth 16, weakly twisted to twisted 1 turn, divided nearly to the base into 2–3 branches and variously perforate, basal membrane low, ca. 50 µm; operculum 0.5–1.2 mm. |
Spores | 8–12 µm, spheric, finely papillose or essentially smooth. |
18–23(–35) µm, spheric, densely papillose. |
Sporophytes | exerted. |
exerted. |
Tortula muralis |
Tortula laureri |
|
Phenology | Capsules mature spring–summer. | Capsules mature summer. |
Habitat | Calcareous rock, often on bricks or walls | Soil, rock crevices, especially calcareous substrates, tundra, essentially subalpine |
Elevation | low to moderate elevations | high elevations (2800-3800 m) (high elevations (9200-12500 ft)) |
Distribution |
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
|
AK; CO; MT; UT; AB; BC; NF; NT; NU; Greenland; Europe; Asia; s Africa |
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.) |
|
Source | FNA vol. 27, p. 595. | FNA vol. 27, p. 601. |
Parent taxa | Pottiaceae > subfam. Pottioideae > Tortula | Pottiaceae > subfam. Pottioideae > Tortula |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Trichostomum laureri, Desmatodon laureri | |
Name authority | Hedwig: Sp. Musc. Frond., 123. (1801) | (Schultz) Lindberg: Öfvers. Kongl. Vetensk.-Akad. Förh. 21: 243. (1864) |
Web links |