Montana Field Guide

Name Change Rationale: Gametophytic characteristics largely determined the reasoning behind moving type species of former genus Phascum to Tortula. Tortula species with leaves turning red in 2% KOH solution, among other characteristics, have been placed in Henediella, Microbryum, or Syntrichia (FNA 2007).

Plant: Large, scattered or in patches. Green, yellow-green, yellow-brown, to dark brown. Stems usually 1-2 mm high and sometimes branched.

Leaf: Ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 0.8-3 x 0.4-0.75 mm. Apex acute and mucronate to short-awned. Margins recurved proximally to nearly plane and either not bordered or bordered with slightly thicker cells. Costa is excurrent, lacking an adaxial pad of cells, and narrowing to the apex.

Leaf Cells: Apex and median leaf cells are quadrate-hexagonal with a width of 13-17 µm. Cells weakly with one papillae or smooth.

Note: The varieties of pilifera and schreberiana, which were based on awn and plant height, are not recognized in FNAv27 because these characteristics are highly variable.

Capsules mature in winter to spring.

Soil, lawns, fields, and soil banks, often among grasses or shrubs in open areas. Habit: Soil crust. Low to moderate elevations.

Autoicous. Seta is very short. Capsules immersed, 0.9-1.3 mm long, spheric to very short-ellipsoid.