Brachythecium ruderale

(Bridel) W. R. Buck

Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 82: 240. 1998.

Basionym: Hypnum ruderale Bridel Muscol. Recent., suppl. 2: 158. 1812
Synonyms: Brachythecium stereopoma (Spruce ex Mitten) A. Jaeger B. wootonii Grout
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 28. Treatment on page 420. Mentioned on page 415, 416, 421, 426.

Plants medium-sized, in moderately dense mats, light green to light yellow-green, occasionally intense green. Stems to 5 cm, creeping, terete-foliate, irregularly to regularly pinnate, branches to 5 mm, straight, terete-foliate. Stem-leaves closely to loosely appressed, imbricate, broadly ovate, broadest at 1/7 leaf length, concave, plicate, 1.1–1.5 (–1.9) × 0.5–0.7 (–0.8) mm; base rounded, narrowly short-decurrent; margins plane or recurved, almost subentire to serrulate, sharply serrate distally; apex gradually to abruptly tapered, acumen long; costa to 40–70% leaf length, slender, terminal spine absent; alar cells subquadrate to short-rectangular, small, 15–25 × 13–16 µm, walls moderately thick, region ± clearly delimited, extensive, of 5–7 × 5–7 cells; laminal cells linear, 45–65 × 5–7 µm; basal-cells 20–30 × 10–13 µm, region in 2 or 3 rows, not markedly different from more distal cells. Branch leaves similar, narrower; margins more strongly serrate. Sexual condition dioicous. Seta reddish orange, 1.5–2.5 cm, smooth. Capsule slightly inclined, reddish orange, cylindric, weakly curved, 2–2.6 mm; annulus not separating; operculum long-conic or short-rostrate. Spores 12–18 µm.


Habitat: Rock, soil, open xeric places
Elevation: high elevations (1800-2300 m)

Distribution

V28 650-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., N.Mex., Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Africa

Discussion

Brachythecium ruderale was known historically from the flora area only from New Mexico, where it was described as B. wootonii, and has more recently been discovered in Arizona, Cochise County, 1950–2130 m (Allen 27950, MO; Goodding 10822, MO). This is the most common species of Brachythecium in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. The widespread tropical African B. implicatum Hornschuch ex Müller Hal. was considered conspecific with B. ruderale (as B. stereopoma) by W. R. Buck (1993). The typical expression of the species has closely appressed leaves resulting in an almost julaceous appearance. However, sometimes branch leaves are narrow and more loosely arranged. In North America, B. ruderale can be confused with B. acuminatum, which differs in having a shorter acumen, eplicate leaves, and homogeneous cells across the leaf base; with B. laetum, which differs in its more strongly plicate stem leaves, small opaque cells across the leaf base, and rather short distal laminal cells; and with B. oedipodium, which differs in having eplicate leaves and conspicuous, long and broad decurrencies. In B. ruderale, the pellucid or opaque alar regions reach from the margin 33% distance to the costa and extend distally to just below the broadest point of the leaf.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"long" is not a number."concave" is not a number."broad" is not a number.

... more about "Brachythecium ruderale"
not separating +
dioicous +, autoicous +  and sexual +
tapered +
Michael S. Ignatov +
(Bridel) W. R. Buck +
10um +  and 13um +
short-decurrent +
rounded +  and narrowed +
rounded +
short to long +
Hypnum ruderale +
terete-foliate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
cucullate +
reddish orange +
cylindric +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.26 cm2.6 mm <br />0.0026 m <br />) +
specialized +
synoicous +, dioicous +, autoicous +, sexual +  and asexual +
subquadrate +  and short-rectangular +
differentiated +
13um +  and 16um +
3 (?) +  and 2 (?) +
discernible +
Ariz. +, N.Mex. +, Mexico +, West Indies +, Central America +, South America +  and Africa +
high elevations (1800-2300 m) +
not adherent +
Rock, soil, open xeric places +
5um (?) +  and 7um (?) +
pointed +
slender +
dioicous +  and sexual +
subentire to serrulate +, subentire +  and plane +
short-rostrate +  and long-conic +
perfect +  and xerocastique +
hygrocastique +
not plicate +  and crumpled +
Mem. New York Bot. Gard. +
pellucid +, opaque +  and otherwise +
extensive +
reddish orange +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.19 cm1.9 mm <br />0.0019 m <br />) +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br />) +
1.1mm;1.5mm +
patent +, spreading +  and erect +
0.5mm;0.7mm +
terete-foliate +
not reddish +
arching +, erect +, ascending +  and creeping +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
Brachythecium stereopoma +  and B. wootonii +
Brachythecium ruderale +
Brachythecium +
species +
incrassate +
green +, light green +  and light yellow-green +