Montana Field Guide

Plants: Pleurocarpous, growing in uncrowded, rambling mats (FNA 2014), occasionally floating (Lawton 1971), sometimes glossy when dry (Crum and Anderson et al. 1918), pale green to ochre. Stems 6-20 cm in length, freely branched (FNA 2014), the branches typically short and creeping (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981), possessing a weak central strand; paraphyllia lacking; rhizoids borne on the stem or dorsal costa at the attachment, nonpapillose (FNA 2014).

Leaves: A little bent and twisted when dry, upright to spreading widely, not pointing toward one side of the stem, sometimes seeming 2-ranked, frequently connected to the stem somewhat diagonally, not pleated, 2.5-6 mm in length (FNA 2014), 0.5-1.2 mm in width (Lawton 1971), somewhat rectangular to lance-shaped, narrowing to a short, wide acumen, slowly tapering to form a long acumen, or somewhere inbetween; base not extending down the stem; margins borderless, flat, smooth; costa solitary, extending over half to 75% of the leaf length. Stem and branch leaves similar (FNA 2014).

Leaf Cells: Distal cells diamond-shaped and short to very slender, to 15:1 (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981); medial laminal cells very slender; marginal cells 1 cell-layer thick (FNA 2014), the lower marginal cells somewhat oblong and from short to long (Crum and Anderson et al, 1981); alar cells oblong, inflated with fine-walls, differing from adjacent cells, the transition gradual (FNA 2014).

The variability of this species is considerable, and has given rise to other species, forms, and varieties (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981).

Wet places (Lawton 1971) on rotting wood, humus, the bottoms of trees, leaf mold, twig/branch litter in swamps, occasionally underwater where water is running or still (but not saline), in limestone springs (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981). Occurring from low elevations to about 9840 feet (Lawton 1971).

Autoicous. Seta solitary, pale- to deep-brown. Capsule bowed (FNA 2014), nodding, and constricted below the opening when dry, or seldom short and wide without the constriction (Lawton 1971), 2.2-2.5 mm in length, russet or somewhat brown; exostome teeth with a border; endostome processes thread-like and transparent; cilia knobby. Calyptra hairless (FNA 2014).