Plants small to moderately large. Stems to 10 cm, usually shorter; central strand usually present. Stem leaves 0.6–2 × 0.3–0.8 mm, lamina 1-stratose; margins entire or nearly so to serrate; costa to mid leaf, percurrent, or rarely short-excurrent, narrower than 100 µm at base; medial laminal cells 10–60 × 5–15 µm.

Distribution

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North America, Central America, South America, Eurasia, s Africa, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Antarctica.

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Subspecies varium occurs in a wide range of habitats and displays, accordingly, a wide range of morphological variability. Many features, like the presence of a central strand in the stem, leaf shape, and shape of the leaf apex, are plastic and depend on water availability.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

Key

1	Costae percurrent; alar cells somewhat differentiated; leaves ovate-lanceolate to ovate-triangular; apices obtuse to acute; stem leaves not complanate	Hygroamblystegium varium var. varium
1	Costae ending before apex; alar cells not sharply differentiated; leaves broadly ovate; apices acuminate; stem leaves sometimes complanate	Hygroamblystegium varium var. humile