Weissia controversa
Weissia ligulifolia
controverial weissia moss, green-cushion weissia moss, green-tuft stubble-moss, pigtail moss
short- to long-lanceolate, base weakly differentiated to ovate, shoulders weak or absent, distal laminal margins strongly and usually but not always sharply incurved or inrolled, apex plane to channeled, acute, mucro usually weak, of 1–5(–8) cells;
costal adaxial stereid band smaller than the abaxial;
distal laminal cells 6–13 µm wide.
long-elliptic or ligulate, base not differentiated in shape or little wider than distal leaf, shoulders absent, distal laminal margins incurved to involute or rolled, apex broadly channeled, acute to rounded, rarely weakly cucullate, mucro usually weak, of 1–3 cells;
costal adaxial stereid band smaller than the abaxial;
distal laminal cells 8–10 µm wide.
elongate, 0.3–0.8 cm.
elongate, 0.5–0.7 cm.
monoicous.
autoicous or paroicous.
stegocarpic, long-ovate to cylindric, operculum differentiated, falling, peristome present, teeth rudimentary to lanceolate, or occasionally absent.
stegocarpic, ovoid to short-cylindric, operculum differentiated, falling, peristome absent or rudimentary.
Weissia controversa
Weissia ligulifolia
This treatment of Weissia controversa follows the study of A. Stoneburner (1985), which justifiably included W. andrewsii, and, agreeing with H. A. Crum and L. E. Anderson (1981), pointed out the great variation in peristome development including occurrence of both eperistomate and peristomate capsules in the same collection. The present treatment includes all flora area reports of W. condensa, a morphologically distinct European species with characters as listed in Excluded Species. Rhizoidal gemmae were reported by W. D. Reese (1988) but these are apparently rare. Weissia viridula Bridel is an illegitimate name that has been much used for this taxon.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Weissia ligulifolia has long-elliptic leaves with base little wider than the distal lamina, or occasionally even narrower, leaf apex broad, rounded-acute, distal laminal cells sometimes relatively large (like those of W. sharpii), to 10–13 µm wide, and the capsule is eperistomate or with rudimentary peristome teeth. Specimens identified as the synonym W. andersoniana differ somewhat by distal laminal cells bulging on both sides and papillae centered or on a pedestal, leaves ligulate; complete intergradation, however, occurs in degree of bulge on both sides of the distal laminal cells, and the degree of centering of the papillae, which grade from low to spiculose, occasionally on a pedestal. This species is much like Trichostomum planifolium in the leaf shape but has strongly involute distal laminal margins and distal lamina ca. 12–18 cells across on one side of the costa versus plane to laxly involute distal margins and distal lamina 25–30 cells across one side in T. planifolium.
Weissia andersoniana R. H. Zander is a new name for Weissia glauca E. B. Bartram, an illegitimate name that has been used for this taxon.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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