Weissia controversa
Weissia ludoviciana
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-lanceolate, base long-elliptic or narrowly ovate, shoulders absent, distal laminal margins plane or erect, apex broadly channeled, acute, mucro very strong, of 7–10(–14) cells;
costal adaxial stereid band smaller than the abaxial;
distal laminal cells 8–10(–12) µm wide.
elongate, 0.3–0.8 cm.
short, 0.08–0.015 cm not including the vaginula.
monoicous.
rhizautoicous.
stegocarpic, long-ovate to cylindric, operculum differentiated, falling, peristome present, teeth rudimentary to lanceolate, or occasionally absent.
cleistocarpic, ovoid with a short-rostrate apiculus.
Weissia controversa
Weissia ludoviciana
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.)
The gametophyte of Weissia ludoviciana is quite like that of W. brachycarpa. If it has a hybrid origin, then the archegoniate parent is the latter species. Weissia ludoviciana, W. muehlenbergiana, and W. phascopsis are similar in the short-seta, cleistocarpic capsules and long-lanceolate leaves, but differ most constantly in the traits given in the key. Additional differences observed, which may prove inconstant on revision, are: W. ludoviciana is rhizautoicous, with antheridia in extremely small, serrate-leaved buds, on soil near base of the archegoniophore, the capsule has stomates and a weakly differentiated annulus of 3–4 rows of smaller cells, and the calyptra is ca. 1 mm; W. muehlenbergiana is cladautoicous, the capsule lacks stomates and an annulus is not distinguishable, and the calyptra is 0.5–0.6 mm; W. phascopsis is cladautoicous, the capsule has stomates and the annulus somewhat differentiated as a ridge, and the calyptra is 1.2–1.4 mm. The hybrid Weissia ludoviciana × W. controversa was reported by W. D. Reese and B. E. Lemmon (1965).
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
- Local floras:
BC - Local Web sites:
CalFlora, CalPhotos, 
Flora NW, 
IL Wildflowers, 
KS Wildflowers, 
LA Plants, 
MI Flora, 
PNW Herbaria 
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database- LBJ Wildflower Center
- SEINet
- Plants of the World Online
- Encyclopedia of Life
- Wikipedia
- Google Image Search
