Montana Field Guide

Plants: Pleurocarpous, growing in slender to thick, interwoven mats, yellow, deep green (FNA 2014), brilliant green, brown (FNA 2014), or ochre, shiny (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981). Stems upwardly inclined to upright, sometimes reaching 2 cm in length and to 2 mm in width; central strand obscure if present; hyalodermis sometimes obscure; rhizoids few, papillose; pseudoparaphyllia lacking (FNA 2014).

Leaves: Closely-spaced (Crum and Anderson et al,. 1981), sometimes lightly overlapping to spreading, frequently spreading 90 degrees and occasionally the tips curving downward, typically straight near the ends of the branches and stems, 0.6-2 mm in length, to 0.8 mm in width, cupped, neither pleated nor wavy (FNA 2014), egg-shaped to somewhat lance-shaped, the acumen slender (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981) and sometimes long; base definitely extending down the stem; leaf edges flat, strongly saw-toothed, sometimes finely so; costa mostly short and paired, seldom absent; branch and stem leaves akin (FNA 2014).

Leaf Cells: Laminal cells somewhat long and thin, tapering at both ends, smooth; lower laminal cells porose, occasionally the cells near mid-leaf also porose; alar cells rounded or somewhat shaped like an ellipse or egg, swollen, somewhat transparent or occasionally orangish, reaching down the stem as many as 6 cell-lengths (FNA 2014).

Fruit ripens in summer (FNA 2014).

This species is characterized by its crowded, squarrose leaves and colorful (orangish to reddish) alar cells extending down the stem (FNA 2014).

Damp to wet (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981), shaded areas on soil or humus, nonbasic stone and bluffs, decaying wood, tree bottoms and bare roots. Occurring from lowlands to about 6560 feet elevation (FNA 2014).

Autoicous, with perichaetia and perigonia near the stem bottoms. Seta 9-20 mm tall, somewhat russet or pale brown, frequently spiraled. Capsule 1-2 mm in length, pale brown, tilted to almost upright, slightly bowed to straight, not or only slightly shrunken below the opening when dry; operculum cone-shaped, sometimes with a short, abrupt point; exostome teeth 16 (FNA 2014), pale ochre (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981), with a network of fine ridges below and papillae above; endostome processes 16, papillose, slender and keeled (FNA 2014); cilia solitary or paired (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981). Calyptra hairless, smooth, and draping hood-like (FNA 2014).