Montana Field Guide

Plants: Acrocarpous, growing in loose clumps or cushions of upright shoots (FNA 2014), deep- to blackish-green (Lawton 1971) or brownish (Crum & Anderson et al., 1981). Stems sometimes reaching 5 mm in height (FNA 2014), frequently forked (Lawton 1971).

Leaves: Straight, upright and loosely appressed when dry, spreading, sometimes broadly, when damp, 2-3.8 mm in length, lance-shaped, sometimes with ovate tendencies, narrowing to the acute and sometimes dulled or slightly broader-angled leaf tip; leaf edges smooth, curved or rolled back nearly to the leaf apex (FNA 2014); costa not reaching the leaf tip (Lawton 1971).

Leaf Cells: Upper laminal cells chlorophyllous (Crum & Anderson et al., 1981), somewhat round and isodiametric (FNA 2014), sometimes a little elongated (Lawton 1971), with 1 to 3 cone-shaped papillae over each lumen, arranged in 1 cell-layer; lower laminal cells rectangular and sometimes long, the walls thin and occasionally a little knobby (FNA 2014).

The most outstanding distinguishing feature is the capsule projecting beyond the perichaetial bracts with its ribs alternating short and long (FNA 2014).

Stone, most often calcareous, dry stone faces of gorges (FNA 2014), seldom on bottoms of trees and on fence rails along roads coated with limestone powder (Crum & Anderson et al., 1981). Occurring from lowlands to about 9840 feet (FNA 2014).

Autoicous. Seta twisted, carrying the capsule beyond the perichaetial bracts, 1-3 mm tall. Capsule 1.8-2.4 mm in length (FNA 2014), shorter than the seta (Lawton 1971), typically with 16 longitudinal ribs alternating short and long (FNA 2014), the short ribs a little less pronounced (seldom absent) (Crum & Anderson et al., 1981), contracted below the opening when dry; stomata sunken and partially covered by adjacent cells; peristome almost always single and typically with a prostome in attendance; exostome of 16 upright to spreading teeth, with fine lines longitudinal above and becoming horizontal below; endostome processes rarely present, not fully formed. Calyptra sheltering the full length of the capsule, papillose, sparsely- to somewhat densely-covered with hairs (FNA 2014).