Montana Field Guide

Plants: Pleurocarpous, growing in open (FNA 2014) or sometimes somewhat dense mats, green, or green with yellowish tones, becoming somewhat brown with age (Lawton 1971), shiny (FNA 2014), branching erratically (Lawton 1971). Stems sometimes reaching 10 cm in length, prostrate, possessing a central strand; pseudoparaphyllia deltoid with a narrowly-angled apex; axillary hairs present with cells sometimes as long as 6:1. Branches resembling stems, appearing swollen with foliage crowded or sometimes less julaceous (and with leaves remotely arranged) and less swollen, occasionally long and tapering (FNA 2014).

Stem Leaves: Somewhat flattened to the stem (FNA 2014) to spreading a little (Lawton 1971), crowded and overlapping to more remotely spaced, cupped, not pleated, 0.9-2 mm in length, seldom to 1.2 mm in width (FNA 2014), not as large on the flagelliform branches (Lawton 1971), widely egg-shaped to somewhat rectangular with ovate tendencies, suddenly narrowing to become shortly acuminate or apiculate; leaf edges finely saw-toothed above and nearly smooth below; costa extending over half to about 80% of the leaf length (FNA 2014); frequently spined terminally (Lawton 1971).

Leaf Cells: Laminal cells somewhat long, slender, and a little bent or curved (FNA 2014); medial laminal cells long and slender (Lawton 1971); basal cells adjacent to alar region somewhat long; alar cells square, with medium-fine walls, the region not distinct (FNA 2014).

The similar Scleropodium obtusifolium also has branches that appear swollen and somewhat long, slender basal cells next to the costa; however, S. obtusifolium lacks an acumen whereas S. touretii has an acumen the length of a few cells or more (FNA 2014).

Soil and rock (Elliott and Pipp 2016).

Dioicous. Perichaetial bracts with long acumen bent back and downward (FNA 2014), to 3.5 mm in length (Lawton 1971). Seta russet, 10-20 mm tall, very coarse all over. Capsule level or tilted (FNA 2014), the theca roughly 2 mm in length (Lawton 1971); peristome allowing capsule mouth to open in low humidity (FNA 2014); cilia with short, crosswise bars (Lawton 1971). Calyptra without hair (FNA 2014).