Didymodon australasiae

(Hooker & Greville) R. H. Zander

Phytologia 41: 21. 1978,.

Basionym: Tortula australasiae Hooker & Greville Edinburgh J. Sci. 1: 301, plate 12. 1824
Synonyms: Didymodon diaphanobasis Cardot Husnotiella torquescens (Cardot) E. B. Bartram Trichostomopsis australasiae (Hooker & Greville) H. Robinson Trichostomopsis brevifolia E. B. Bartram Trichostomopsis diaphanobasis (Cardot) Grout Trichostomopsis fayae Grout
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 27. Treatment on page 547. Mentioned on page 539, 543, 555, 561.

Plants usually blackish green. Stems to 1 (–1.5) cm, central strand present. Stem-leaves spreading-incurved and twisted to incurved-appressed when dry, spreading to spreading-recurved and not keeled when moist, monomorphic, short-lanceolate or sometimes short-ovate to long-elliptic, broadly concave adaxially across leaf, usually 1–2.5 mm, base scarcely differentiated in shape to ovate, margins usually recurved at mid leaf, entire, apex broadly acute or occasionally narrowly so, not fragile; costa percurrent or ending a few cells below the apex, broader at mid leaf, occasionally weakly spurred, with a low adaxial pad of cells, adaxial costal cells quadrate, 4–6 cells wide at mid leaf, guide cells in 1–2 layers; basal laminal cells differentiated medially or across leaf, quadrate to shortrectangular, walls very thin and not perforated; distal laminal cells 7–12 wide, 1: 1 or occasionally transversely elongate below, papillae usually distinct, low or simple to 2-fid, occasionally absent, lumens oval to roundedquadrate, walls thin to evenly thickened, convex on both sides of lamina, 2-stratose in one or more rows along margins. Specialized asexual reproduction by multicellular tubers on proximal rhizoids. Seta 0.7–1 cm. Capsule 1–1.9 mm; peristome teeth 32, linear, weakly twisted, to 600 µm, occasionally rudimentary. Spores 11–15 µm. Distal laminal KOH reaction variously negative or yellow or orange or redbrown.


Phenology: Capsules mature winter–spring.
Habitat: Soil, gypsum, acid rock, ledges, sandstone, silt
Elevation: moderate to high elevations (300-2000 m)

Distribution

V27 783-distribution-map.gif

Ariz., Calif., Colo., Nev., N.Mex., Oreg., Tex., Mexico, Central America, South America, Europe, n, s Africa, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia

Discussion

In North American Didymodon, hydroids are found in the costae of D. anserinocapitatus, D. australasiae, D. nevadensis, D. norrisii, D. umbrosus, D. revolutus, and D. vinealis, and in these species the adaxial stereid band is usually absent in well developed specimens. Intergrades exist between D. australasiae and D. umbrosus, but the extreme forms are common and quite distinctive.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"um" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."um" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Didymodon australasiae"
quadrate +  and elongate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
channeled +, concave +  and long-triangular +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
of 1-2 rows +  and differentiated +
long-excurrent +  and short-excurrent +
not fragile +
occasionally narrowly +  and acute +
Richard H. Zander +
(Hooker & Greville) R. H. Zander +
weak +  and strong +
ovate +  and crescent--shaped +
papillose +  and smooth +
across leaf +  and differentiated +
usually slightly wider +
ovate;differentiated +
differentiated +
Tortula australasiae +
obovoid +
cucullate +
stegocarpous +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.19 cm1.9 mm <br />0.0019 m <br />) +
monoicous +, dioicous +  and sexual +
flat to bulging +
thin;thick +
1 +  and 10 +
hexagonal +
tomentose +  and bare +
ending a few cells +  and percurrent +
broader +
quadrate +  and rectangular +
occasionally weakly dentate or crenulate +  and entire +
subquadrate;hexagonal or rounded-angular occasionally shortly rectangular or rhomboid +
Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, Oreg. +, Tex. +, Mexico +, Central America +, South America +, Europe +, n +, s Africa +, Pacific Islands (New Zealand) +  and Australia +
moderate to high elevations (300-2000 m) +
differentiated +
multicellular +
occasional +
Soil, gypsum, acid rock, ledges, sandstone, silt +
yellow +  and orange-red or red +
1 +  and 2 +
monomorphic +  and twisted +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
spreading +  and spreading-recurved +
concave;short-ovate;long-elliptic +
spreading +  and strongly reflexed +
ovate +, keeled +  and curled +
reduced +
specialized +
dioicous +  and sexual +
oval +  and roundedquadrate +
short-conic;long-conic +
photosynthetic +
lateral +  and terminal +
lateral +  and terminal +
red +, orange +  and yellow +
oblong +  and linear or long-triangular +
Capsules mature winter–spring. +
1 (?) +  and 2 (?) +
straight +
yellowish;reddish-brown +
elongate +
0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
2 +  and 1 +
redbrown +, orange +  and yellow +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br />) +
rounded-triangular +  and rounded-pentagonal +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Didymodon diaphanobasis +, Husnotiella torquescens +, Trichostomopsis australasiae +, Trichostomopsis brevifolia +, Trichostomopsis diaphanobasis +  and Trichostomopsis fayae +
Didymodon australasiae +
Didymodon +
species +
elliptic;cylindric +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
rudimentary +
multicellular +
2-stratose +  and not perforated +
red +  and yellow +
specialized +
thin +  and evenly thickened +
stemless +  and perigoniate +