Plagiothecium denticulatum

(Hedwig) Schimper in P. Bruch and W. P. Schimper

in P. Bruch and W. P. Schimper, Bryol. Europ. 5: 190. 1851.

Illustrated
Basionym: Hypnum denticulatum Hedwig Sp. Musc. Frond., 237. 1801
Synonyms: H. donnianum Smith H. obtusifolium (Turner) Bridel Plagiothecium denticulatum var. bullulae Grout P. ruthei Renauld & Cardot P. sandbergii P. sylvaticum var. squarrosum Kindberg
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 28. Treatment on page 487. Mentioned on page 484, 488.

Plants in thin to dense mats, dark green to yellowish, dull or glossy. Stems to 5 cm, 1–4 mm wide across leafy stem, prostrate or rarely erect, complanate-foliate or sometimes julaceous. Leaves somewhat spreading, rarely secund with apices pointing toward substratum, imbricate, oblong-ovate or ovatelanceolate, asymmetric, flat to concave, 1.5–4 × 0.5–2 mm; margins broadly recurved nearly to apex or sometimes plane, serrulate at extreme apex or rarely entire; apex acute to acuminate or rarely narrowly obtuse, not abruptly contracted, seldom recurved; costa with one branch sometimes reaching mid leaf or rarely ecostate; alar cells spheric, oval, quadrate, or rectangular, 19–80 × 19–29 µm, in 3–8 vertical rows, terminating in several spheric or oval cells at base, region often auriculate and oval, sometimes cells quadrate and rectangular, terminating in 1 cell at base, region triangular; medial laminal cells 70–180 × 12–21 µm. Specialized asexual reproduction often present as propagula, 72–178 × 9–24 µm, of 3–7 cells borne in leaf-axils. Sexual condition autoicous or sometimes dioicous, usually fruiting. Seta light-brown to red, 1.5–3.5 cm, curved. Capsule cernuous or rarely erect or inclined, light-brown to orangebrown when mature, arcuate, rarely straight when erect or inclined, 1.5–3.5 × 0.5–1 mm, striate or sometimes wrinkled, rarely smooth, strongly wrinkled at neck; operculum short-rostrate, 0.7–1 mm; endostome cilia 2 or 3. Spores 9–13 µm.


Phenology: Capsules mature summer.
Habitat: Woodlands on rotten logs, stumps, base of trees, humus or soil overlying boulders and cliffs
Elevation: low to high elevations (50-2700 m)

Distribution

V28 758-distribution-map.gif

Greenland, Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., N.S., Nunavut, Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Conn., Del., D.C., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Iowa, Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nev., N.H., N.J., N.Mex., N.Y., N.C., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., R.I., Tenn., Utah, Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo., Europe, Asia, Africa

Discussion

Plagiothecium denticulatum is one of the most common and variable species of the genus in the flora area. Sometimes (especially in western North America) the stems are julaceous, to 3 cm, the leaves are strongly concave, nearly symmetric, narrowly obtuse, 1.5–2 mm, and the capsules are almost straight and erect. The leaves have some apices pointing toward the substratum, as is also the case in P. laetum. Plagiothecium denticulatum has been reported for Australia and New Zealand, but an examination of the specimens from those regions revealed that they are P. novae-seelandiae Brotherus (R. R. Ireland 1992).

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"broad" is not a number.

differentiated +
recurved +  and pointing +
acute +  and acuminate or rarely narrowly obtuse +
Robert R. Ireland Jr. +
(Hedwig) Schimper in P. Bruch and W. P. Schimper +
oval +, spheric +  and several +
Hypnum denticulatum +
lanceolate;ovate +
asymmetric +  and symmetric +
imbricate;distant +
spreading +  and erect +
concave +, oblong-ovate +, oblong-lanceolate +, ovatelanceolate +  and ovate +
cucullate +
light-brown +  and orangebrown +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
inclined +, erect +  and cernuous +
oblong;ovoid +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
3 +  and 7 +
rectangular +, quadrate +, oval +, spheric +, several +  and auriculate +
differentiated +
19um;29um +
Greenland +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.W.T. +, N.S. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Conn. +, Del. +, D.C. +, Idaho +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, Mont. +, Nev. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Mex. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Ohio +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, Tenn. +, Utah +, Vt. +, Va. +, Wash. +, W.Va. +, Wis. +, Wyo. +, Europe +, Asia +  and Africa +
low to high elevations (50-2700 m) +
Woodlands on rotten logs, stumps, base of trees, humus or soil overlying boulders and cliffs +
0.02 cm0.2 mm <br />2.0e-4 m <br /> (0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br />) +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
ovatelanceolate asymmetric flat +  and concave +
enlarged +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
entire +  and serrulate +
nearly +  and sometimes plane +
dioicous +, autoicous +, sexual +  and asexual +
short-rostrate +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Capsules mature summer. +
cylindric;fusiform +
in P. Bruch and W. P. Schimper, Bryol. Europ. +
triangular +, oval +, spheric +  and several +
papillose +  and smooth +
light-brown;red +
elongate +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> (3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br />) +
Illustrated +
spheric;ovoid +
leafy +  and complanate-foliate +
imbricate;distant +
6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br /> (8 cm80 mm <br />0.08 m <br />) +
erect +  and prostrate +
concave +, oblong-ovate +, oblong-lanceolate +, ovatelanceolate +  and ovate +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
1mm;4mm +
H. donnianum +, H. obtusifolium +, Plagiothecium denticulatum var. bullulae +, P. ruthei +, P. sandbergii +  and P. sylvaticum var. squarrosum +
Plagiothecium denticulatum +
Plagiothecium +
species +
specialized +
dioicous +, autoicous +  and sexual +
thin +  and thick +
dark green;yellowish +
glossy +  and dull +