Weissia controversa
Weissia sharpii
controverial weissia moss, green-cushion weissia moss, green-tuft stubble-moss, pigtail moss
sharp's weissia 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.
deltoid to ovate, base ovate or rectangular, shoulders weak or absent, distal laminal margins loosely inrolled or occasionally sharply incurved, apex channeled or somewhat cucullate, acute to broadly acute, mucro sometimes weak but usually strong, of (1–)5–9 cells;
costal adaxial stereid band smaller than the abaxial;
distal laminal cells 10–13 µm wide.
elongate, 0.3–0.8 cm.
elongate, 0.5–1.5 cm.
monoicous.
autoicous.
stegocarpic, long-ovate to cylindric, operculum differentiated, falling, peristome present, teeth rudimentary to lanceolate, or occasionally absent.
stegocarpic, ovate, operculum differentiated, falling, peristome present, teeth absent, rudimentary to ligulate.
Weissia controversa
Weissia sharpii
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 sharpii is a comparatively large species, and may be mistaken for Trichostomum crispulum, which, however, has erect distal laminal margins and commonly a strongly cucullate apex. Weissia sharpii has many of the characteristics of the European species W. condensa including large distal laminal cells, ca. 10–13 µm, and large mucro, of ca. 7–9 cells; W. sharpii has a reduced peristome, W. condensa is eperistomate or occasionally has a very reduced peristome. With reciprocal transplantation experiments, A. J. Shaw (1987) found W. sharpii and W. controversa to be closely related, but distinguishable by a few discontinuous characters: leaf length-width ratio, distal leaf width, and width of the gap between involute leaf margins. These are in addition to differences in chromosome number and ecology.
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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