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A Trichodon Moss - Trichodon cylindricus
General Description
Plants: Growing in open cushions or turfs of erect shoots (Crum & Anderson et al. 1981), pale green or green with yellow tones. Stems 2-4 mm in length (FNA 2007), mostly unbranched (Crum & Anderson et al. 1981); axillary hairs of 5 cells, 3 long transparent ones distally and 2 brown ones proximally, 2 hairs in a leaf axil; papillose rhizoids proximally (FNA 2007).
Leaves: A little curved and twisted when dry, 1-3 mm in length (FNA 2007), oblong (Crum & Anderson et al. 1981) or obovate, tapering to a long subula (Malcolm & Malcolm 2009); subula a little bent and spreading when dry, and spreading to ca 90 degrees when wet (Crum & Anderson et al. 1981), margins saw-toothed or finely so along the subula, strongly rolled inward to form a tube (tubulose); base wide and enveloping the stem; costa extending to the apex, occupying most of the far end of the subula, appearing papillose on the dorsal surface from overlapping and protuberant cell ends (FNA 2007).
Leaf Cells: Cells of the sheath large and fine-walled, the medial cells above the shoulders quadrangular, smaller above than at the base (FNA 2007), short and with moderately thick walls (Crum & Anderson et al. 1981); margins of 1 cell layer, sometimes 2 near the apex; costa of 2 cell layers, 4-5 layers at mid-leaf, typically with 1 row of stereid cells on the outer face (Lawton 1971).
Trichodon cylindricus var. cylindricus: Present in Montana (FNA 2007).
Trichodon cylindricus var. oblongus: Apparently unknown in Montana (FNA 2007).
Range Comments
North American Range
Variety cylindricus: AK, YT, BC and AB s to CA, ID and MT, ON to NL and NB, MI (FNA 2007). Known in Montana from Flathead, Glacier, Lake, and Lincoln Counties (Elliott 2016).
Variety oblongus: AK to NT (FNA 2007).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 9
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Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Variety cylindricus: Soil of exposed, disrupted habitats, such as fields, paths, road embankments. Elevation: 100-6560 feet (FNA 2007).
Variety oblongus: Soil of exposed, disrupted habitats; arctic regions (FNA 2007).
Reproductive Characteristics
Dioicous. Perichaetia and perigonia borne at stem ends (FNA 2007), the perigonia big (Crum & Anderson et al. 1981); perigonial leaf bracts orange at the bottom (Lawton 1971); perichaetial bracts similar to vegetative leaves. Seta 3-27 mm tall, reddish, spiraled when dry. Capsule cylindric, straight to a little bowed, carried beyond the perichaetial bracts (FNA 2007); peristome divisions 16, divided almost to the bottom into 2 or 3 thread-like and papillose parts (Crum & Anderson et al. 1981).
Specialized vegetative reproduction occasionally occurring as smooth, yellowish to brownish tubers of various shapes arising from rhizoids (FNA 2014).
Variety cylindricus: Seta 5-27 mm tall. Capsule usually inclined and a little bowed (occasionally straight) (FNA 2007).
Variety oblongus: Seta 3-13 mm tall. Capsule usually upright, straight to weakly bowed (FNA 2007).
References
- Literature Cited AboveLegend:
View Online Publication
Crum, H.A. and L.E. Anderson. 1981. Mosses of Eastern North America. 2 volumes. Columbia University Press, New York. 1328 pp.- Elliott, J.C. and A.K. Pipp. 2018. A Checklist of Montana Mosses (1880-2018). Updated 3 January, 2020. Montana Natural Heritage Program, Helena, Montana. 73 pp.
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 2007. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Volume 27. Bryophytes: Mosses, Part 1. Oxford University Press, Inc., NY. xxi + 713 pp.
- Lawton, E. 1971. Moss Flora of the Pacific Northwest. Hattori Botanical Laboratory. Japan: Yamabuki-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo. 362 pages plus appendices.
- Malcolm, B., N. Malcolm, J. Shevock, and D. Norris. 2009. California Mosses. Nelson, New Zealand: Micro-Optics Press. 430 pp.
- Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?- Elliot, J. C. 1993. Second checklist of Montana mosses. Unpublished report. U.S. Forest Service, Region 1. Missoula, MT. 45 pp.
- Lawton, E. 1971. Keys for the Identification of the Mosses on the Pacific Northwest. Reprinted from 'Moss Flora of the Pacific Northwest'. Published as Supplement No. 2 of the Journal of the Hattori Botanical Laboratory. Nichinan, Miyazaki, Japan. 66 pp.
- Smith, A.J.E. 1980. The Moss Flora of Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 705 pp.
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