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Donn's Small Limestone Moss - Seligeria donniana
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State Rank Reason (see State Rank above)
Distribution data in BIOTICS had Distribution Confidence as "Reported but unconfirmed" with no explanatory notes. FNA 2014 does show this species in Montana.
General Description
Plants: Acrocarpous (Vitt 1988), minute, growing in crowded clumps or cushions of upright shoots, olivaceous. Stems seldom 2- or 3-forked (FNA 2007), to 1.5 mm in height (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981) but frequently under 1 mm (Lawton 1971). Leaves: Rigidly upright to spreading a little when dry, usually spreading to about 45 degrees or more with the distal end curved back and downward when damp, 0.4-1 mm in length, lance-shaped and very narrow or with ovate tendencies, forming a sturdy subula with an obtuse (but nearly acute) leaf tip; leaf edges flat (FNA 2007) or curved up and inward (Lawton 1971), finely saw-toothed below (FNA 2007) and sometimes above (Lawton 1971); costa fully occupying the subula and terminating in the apex (FNA 2007). Leaf Cells: Laminal cells with length 1-2 times that of the width (FNA 2007) or distal cells up to 3 times as long (Lawton 1971), oblong and very thin near the attachment (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981).
Diagnostic Characteristics
Identifying Seligeria to species requires sporophytes (FNA 2007).
Range Comments
North American Range YT and NT, s to WA and MT, also CO, ON to NL, IA, MO, MI, OH to NY, and TN (FNA 2007). Known in Montana from Flathead County (Elliott and Pipp 2016).
Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 3
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Relative Density
Recency
(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)
Habitat
Calcareous rocks and sandstone in shady (Lawton 1971) sheltered areas, such as stone fissures (FNA 2007), also on rocky bluffs (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981).
Reproductive Characteristics
Autoicous. Perichaetial bracts akin to stem leaves except bigger. Seta a little bent and twisted or straight (FNA 2007), about 1.5-3 mm tall (Crum and Anderson et al. 1981). Capsule a little broader than long, the opening not the widest part when young, but becoming so when old (FNA 2007) and then appearing nearly hemispherical; operculum with beak upright or tilted (Lawton 1971), non-papillose; peristome wanting (FNA 2007).
Stewardship Responsibility
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. Vitt, D. J. Marsh, and R. Bovey. 1988. Mosses, Lichens & Ferns of Northwest North America. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press. 296 p.
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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