Montana Field Guide

Plants: Acrocarpous, growing in loose clumps or cushions of upright shoots (FNA 2014), frequently mingling with other species, green, sometimes deeply so, becoming darker to blackish proximally (Lawton 1971), occasionally glaucous in densely shaded areas (Flowers 1973). Stems sometimes reaching 12 mm in height (FNA 2014), frequently forked (Lawton 1971), the branches close together (Flowers 1973).

Leaves: Straight, upright and loosely appressed when dry, spreading, sometimes broadly, when damp, 2.5-4 mm in length, lance-shaped, sometimes with ovate tendencies or leaning toward oblong, narrowing to the widely acute or rarely slightly obtuse leaf tip; leaf edges smooth, curved or rolled back nearly to the leaf apex (FNA 2014); costa almost reaching the leaf tip (Lawton 1971).

Leaf Cells: Upper laminal cells of 1 cell-layer or seldom with 2-layered strips (FNA 2014), chlorophyllous (Crum & Anderson et al., 1981), somewhat round and isodiametric (FNA 2014), sometimes elongated, thick-walled (Lawton 1971), with 2 or 3 two-lobed papillae per cell; lower laminal cells quadrangular, varying from long to short, the walls fine and not knobbed (FNA 2014).

Different kinds of dry rocks, particularly limestone, in mountains and gorges (Flowers 1973); evergreen forests. Occurring from lowlands to about 9840 feet (FNA 2014).

Autoicous. Seta twisted, to 1 mm tall. Capsule 1.2-1.6 mm in length, hidden amongst the perichaetial bracts to partially emerged from the perichaetial bracts (up to halfway), shrunken proximal to the opening when dry, with 16 longitudinal ribs; stomata sunken and partially covered by adjacent cells; peristome usually single and typically with a prostome in attendance; exostome of 16 upright teeth, spreading or bent back and downward with age, and generally disappearing in the aged capsule, with papillae and fine lines; endostome processes seldom present, 8 and not fully formed when present. Calyptra sheltering the full length of the capsule, with papillose hairs (FNA 2014).