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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.

ovate-lanceolate or occasionally ovate, apex broadly acute or rounded-acute, piliferous, margins recurved in middle 2/3 of leaf or more, not or weakly bordered distally with ca. 2 rows of less papillose, thicker-walled cells, to ca. 2:1;

costa long-excurrent, lacking an adaxial pad of cells, distally narrow, 2–3 cells across the convex adaxial surface;

distal laminal cells hexagonal, 13–20 µm wide, 1:1, densely papillose with several 2-fid papillae.

Seta

0.6–1.5 cm.

0.4–1.9 cm.

Sexual condition

autoicous.

autoicous or paroicous.

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, short-cylindric, erect and nearly straight, urn 1.5–2 mm;

peristome 300–500 length µm, teeth 16, divided to near the base or perforate basally, the teeth often basally fused into a low basal membrane ca. 50 µm;

operculum 0.5–0.6 mm.

Spores

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

ca. 23–25 µm, spheric, densely papillose.

Sporophytes

exerted.

exerted.

Tortula muralis

Tortula leucostoma

Phenology Capsules mature spring–summer. Capsules mature summer.
Habitat Calcareous rock, often on bricks or walls Soil, silt, clay, especially calcareous substrates, occasionally runways and burrows of small mammals, typically subarctic, Arctic and alpine habitats
Elevation low to moderate elevations low to high elevations (0-3700 m) (low to high elevations (0-12100 ft))
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
[WildflowerSearch map]
from FNA
AK; AZ; CA; CO; MT; WA; BC; NL; NT; NU; YT; Greenland; Europe; Asia
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.)

Tortula leucostoma and T. guepinii were considered by W. C. Steere (1939c) to be probably subspecies of T. hoppeana (as Desmatodon latifolius). This species differs from T. hoppeana largely by the tapering leaf with piliferous costa, and perhaps the somewhat shorter seta.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 595. FNA vol. 27, p. 599.
Parent taxa Pottiaceae > subfam. Pottioideae > Tortula Pottiaceae > subfam. Pottioideae > Tortula
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
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. modica, T. mucronifolia, T. muralis, T. nevadensis, T. obtusifolia, T. plinthobia, T. porteri, T. protobryoides, T. subulata, T. systylia, T. truncata
Synonyms Barbula leucostoma, Desmatodon leucostoma, Desmatodon suberectus, T. suberecta
Name authority Hedwig: Sp. Musc. Frond., 123. (1801) (R. Brown) Hooker & Greville: Edinburgh J. Sci. 1: 294. (1824)
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