Montana Field Guide

Plants: Coarse, deep green to nearly black, or yellowish to brown, frequently growing in thick mats, or more crowded with ascending stems. Stems procumbent to nearly erect (Crum et al. 1981), frequently with curved branches (Smith 1980).

Leaves: Erect or lightly appressed and sometimes somewhat curved at the ends when dry, erect-spreading (Crum et al. 1981) and frequently subsecund when wet (Smith 1980), 2.5-3 mm in length, lanceolate and slightly oblong, gradually narrowing to the apex; apex dull to sharp, narrow (Crum et al. 1981), smooth or a bit toothed (Smith 1980); margins smooth, curved under in the bottom half on one or both sides, 2-cell layers thick (Crum et al. 1981); nerve strong, ending at the apex or nearly so, conspicuously 2- or 4-winged on the back side (Crum et al. 1981).

Leaf Cells: Basal cells narrowly oblong or linear, sinuose; basal marginal cells in several rows, nearly square to short-rectangular; upper cells smooth, nearly square to rounded, frequently elongated crosswise (Crum et al. 1981).

Capsules ripen in spring (Smith 1980).

Dry to wet rocks (mostly granitic) in the mountains (Crum et al. 1981) from mid to high altitudes (Smith 1980).

Dioicous, seldom fruiting. Setae yellow (Smith 1980), smooth, 2-4 mm in length, upright and somewhat flexuose when dry, curved when wet, mostly single, seldom paired. Capsules cylindric and oblongish, brown, 1-1.7 mm in length, furrowed/striate when dry; peristome teeth upright, brown, sometimes with reddish tones, split over halfway down into 2 filiform segments, thickly papillose (Crum et al. 1981).