Ptychostomum schleicheri

Plants in dense or open turfs, pale yellow, yellow-green, or copper. Stems 3–6(–10) cm, fertile stems comose, innovations evenly foliate. Leaves yellow to yellow-copper, crowded, older leaves ± imbricate, younger leaves contorted to shrunken when dry, broadly ovate, weakly to strongly concave, 2–4(–5) mm, not much enlarged toward stem apex; base green, not or weakly decurrent; margins plane or revolute proximally, plane distally, limbidium moderately strong, in 1–3 rows; apex acute; costa percurrent to short-excurrent, awn slender; proximal laminal cells rectangular, 3:1; medial and distal cells 28–36 µm wide, 2:1, walls thin. Specialized asexual reproduction absent. Sexual condition dioicous. Seta red-brown, 2–3(–4) cm, slender, straight to somewhat flexuose. Capsule yellow-brown, turbinate to pyriform, symmetric, 3–5 mm, mouth yellow; operculum conic, rounded; peristome well developed; exostome teeth yellow basally, hyaline distally, lamellae straight, pores absent near base along mid line; endostome not adherent to exostome, basal membrane 1/2 exostome height, segments with ovate perforations, cilia appendiculate to nodose. Spores 16–20(–22) µm, yellow to brown.

Phenology: Capsules mature Jul–Aug.
Habitat: Wet soil, along streams, seepy tundra slopes, late snowmelt areas
Elevation: low to high elevations (0-4000 m)

Greenland, Alta., B.C., N.W.T., Nunavut, Yukon, Alaska, Calif., Idaho, Mont., Oreg., Wash., Eurasia.

Discussion

Ptychostomum schleicheri is an arctic-alpine species. When well developed, the plants are distinctively large, with long stems, and crowded, yellowish, somewhat imbricate leaves. Much material named P. schleicheri appears to be misidentified and can be referred to P. turbinatum. This species is atypical for Ptychostomum and shows some morphological similarities to Mniaceae, especially in the lack of tmema cells in the rhizoidal filiform gemmae, extremely wide laminal cells, and pronounced shelflike leaf base that remains attached to the stem after the leaf is removed. Ptychostomum subneodamense is similar but has a 1-stratose border, usually contorted and shrunken leaves when dry, and much smaller laminal cells.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa