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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 to obovate or elliptical, apex acute, short-awned, sometimes long, margins plane or rarely weakly recurved medially, not bordered;

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

distal laminal cells subquadrate or occasionally hexagonal, 16–22 µm wide, 1(–2):1, smooth.

Seta

0.6–1.5 cm.

1–1.4 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 (but columella falls with operculum), obovate to cylindric, erect and nearly straight, urn 0.8–1.6 mm;

peristome absent;

operculum 0.6–1 mm.

Spores

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

23–30 µm, spheric, granulose-papillose papillose.

Sporophytes

exerted.

exerted.

Tortula muralis

Tortula nevadensis

Phenology Capsules mature spring–summer. Capsules mature spring–summer.
Habitat Calcareous rock, often on bricks or walls Soil, occasional saline soil, clay
Elevation low to moderate elevations moderate to high elevations (500-3900 m) (moderate to high elevations (1600-12800 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
CO; NV; OR; UT; WA; AB; BC; ON; QC; SK
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.)

In Tortula nevadensis, the often long-cylindric capsule with operculum rostrate from a flattened base is much like that of Hennediella heimii but is not technically systylius because the operculum usually falls without being lifted by the columella; the columella is cut near the base and remains attached to the operculum. The leaves are reddish only in the extreme basal portion in 2 percent KOH solution. The costa seen in section has two (sub)stereid bands in the more robust leaves, but the large, smooth laminal cells and broad leaf shape preclude confusion with taxa in genera characteristically having two stereid bands (but only one band if plant environmentally depauperate). What appears to be a ventral stereid band may be secondary thickening of an internal epidermal layer. The distal leaves may be weakly denticulate near the apex by projecting cell ends. This uncommon species is a western North American one that is disjunctive to Ontario and Quebec.

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

Source FNA vol. 27, p. 595. FNA vol. 27, p. 594.
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. leucostoma, T. modica, T. mucronifolia, T. muralis, T. obtusifolia, T. plinthobia, T. porteri, T. protobryoides, T. subulata, T. systylia, T. truncata
Synonyms Pottia nevadensis
Name authority Hedwig: Sp. Musc. Frond., 123. (1801) (Cardot & Thériot) R. H. Zander: Bull. Buffalo Soc. Nat. Sci. 32: 226. (1993)
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