Montana Field Guide

Plants: Pleurocarpous (Vitt 1988), developing deep mats or tufts, stout, yellow-brown to olive green below with golden tips, (Lawton 1971), the gold glistening when dry (FNA 2014). Stems 3-10 cm in length (Lawton 1971), sparingly and erratically branched, possessing a central strand (FNA 2014).

Leaves: Stem leaves upright and overlapping or somewhat spreading, ovate or widely so, with an abrupt narrowing to the apex (FNA 2014), 2-2.7 mm in length (Lawton 1971); margins smooth to sometimes extremely fine-toothed in part (FNA 2014), frequently inrolled and overlapping above (Lawton 1971), borderless; apex concave, broadly rounded or obtuse with a short apiculus (FNA 2014); base rounded, slightly clasping the stem, not decurrent (Lawton 1971). The costa is usually double and 1/5-2/5 the length of the leaf; if single (rare), then a little longer (FNA 2014).

Leaf Cells: Upper cells smooth (FNA 2014), long and thin with ends attenuating; apical and basal cells broader, shorter, and thicker-walled, with basal cells pitted and more deeply colored (Lawton 1971); alar cells smaller and more slender (Lawton 1971), quadrate to oblong, a little swollen, thick- to very thick-walled, becoming yellow with age; marginal cells 1-layered (FNA 2014).

The leaves of P. turgescens are almost always yellow or golden-brown except in shaded habitats (FNA 2014).

P. turgescens and the straight-leaved forms of Scorpidium scorpioides are often confused. However, P. turgescens has numerous small, thick-walled alar cells and no hyalodermis. S. scorpioides has a few large thin-walled alar cells and at least an incomplete hyalodermis. S. scorpioides frequently displays red colors; red is never seen in P. turgescens (FNA 2014).

Found on wet soil in calcareous seeps and fens, on smooth limestone or in small soil indentations, on rocks rinsed with calcium-laden water, submerged in small water bodies (FNA 2014).

Dioicous. Capsule horizontal or tilted (FNA 2014).