Pogonatum urnigerum

(Hedwig) P. Beauvois

Prodr. Aethéogam., 84. 1805,.

Basionym: Polytrichum urnigerum Hedwig Sp. Musc. Frond., 100, plate 22, figs. 5–7. 1801
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 27. Treatment on page 158. Mentioned on page 15, 126, 155, 156, 159.

Plants medium to robust, in loose tufts or scattered among other mosses, green to glaucous green, brownish with age. Stems 2–5 cm, commonly branching by innovations, frequently dendroid. Leaves 2.5–6 mm, densely imbricate and crowded toward the stem and branch tips, erect-appressed and somewhat incurved when dry, reflexed and widely spreading when moist, gradually to rather abruptly contracted to the blade, the hinge-cells sharply differentiated; sheath ovate to obovate, hyaline-margined on the flanks, with a wedge of incrassate hinge-cells at the shoulders and extending a short distance up the blade margin; blade broadly oblong-lanceolate to narrowly linear-lanceolate, only slightly concave, toothed from apex almost to the shoulders, or sometimes subentire; costa percurrent or slightly excurrent as a subulate, serrate to smooth point, smooth abaxially or sparingly toothed towards the tip; lamellae 30–46, entire in profile, 4–7 cells high, the marginal cells enlarged, thick-walled and coarsely papillose, in section rounded to elliptical, broader than high, the distal wall broadly convex, the lumen rounded-pentagonal; sheath cells short-rectangular to ± isodiametric approaching the blade; cells on abaxial surface of blade 24–27 µm, irregularly quadrate, ± isodiametric, thick-walled, the transverse walls often thicker. Seta 1–4 cm, typically one per perichaetium but several per plant at the tips of branches. Capsule 2–3 mm, short-cylindric to ovate-cylindric, erect to inclined, light-brown to reddish-brown to blackish with age; exothecium mammillose, densely areolate, the cells rounded-quadrate, incrassate, with slitlike pits in the outer wall; peristome 300–350 µm, divided to 0.6, the teeth rather broad, reddish-brown with hyaline margins. Spores 10–18 µm.


Habitat: Disturbed sandy or gravelly soil on stream banks, roadsides, crevices of cliffs and boulders, and in late snow areas
Elevation: moderate to high elevations

Distribution

V27 198-distribution-map.gif

Greenland, Alta., B.C., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., N.S., Nunavut, Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Colo., Idaho, Mont., N.H., N.Y., Oreg., Tenn., Vt., Wash., Wis., Europe, Caucasus, Siberia, e Asia (Philippines), e Asia (New Guinea.), Atlantic Islands (Iceland)

Discussion

The most widely distributed species of the genus, Pogonatum urnigerum is notably absent from Middle America and south-temperate South America. In Nunavut, it is known from Baffin, Ellesmere, and Melville islands. The plants are usually more robust than are those of P. dentatum, often repeatedly branched, and the crowding of the leaves at the tips of the branches produces a distinctive tiered effect. The marginal cells of the lamellae are rounded in section, and the lumen is pentagonal, resembling the gable end of a house. Fruiting plants of the two species can be easily distinguished also by the peristome, which in P. dentatum is deeply divided almost to the base. Polytrichastrum alpinum also branches repeatedly, but the plants are generally larger and absent the bluish glaucous appearance characteristic of P. urnigerum in the field.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"um" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."broadened" is not a number."elongated" is not a number."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."broad" is not a number.

... more about "Pogonatum urnigerum"
prominent +
Gary L. Smith Merrill +
(Hedwig) P. Beauvois +
Polytrichum urnigerum +
subentire +, toothed +, concave +, broadly oblong-lanceolate +  and narrowly linear-lanceolate +
firm-textured +
differentiated +
thick-walled +
monoicous +, dioicous +, sexual +  and vegetative +
rounded-quadrate;quadrate +
incrassate +
sparsely ciliate;smooth +
cucullate +
regular to somewhat +  and regular +
light-brown +  and reddish-brown +
erect;inclined +
short-cylindric +  and ovate-cylindric +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
excurrent +  and percurrent +
toothed +
undifferentiated +
Greenland +, Alta. +, B.C. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.W.T. +, N.S. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, N.H. +, N.Y. +, Oreg. +, Tenn. +, Vt. +, Wash. +, Wis. +, Europe +, Caucasus +, Siberia +, e Asia (Philippines) +, e Asia (New Guinea.) +  and Atlantic Islands (Iceland) +
moderate to high elevations +
with a single papillate projection +  and mamillate +
Disturbed sandy or gravelly soil on stream banks, roadsides, crevices of cliffs and boulders, and in late snow areas +
incrassate +
differentiated +
delimited +  and indistinct +
not differentiated +
photosynthetic +
4 +  and 7 +
serrate +, crenulate +  and serrulate +
crowded +  and imbricate +
spreading +, reflexed +  and incurved +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
membranous +
rounded-pentagonal +
1(-3)-stratose +
cuticular-papillose +  and smooth +
entire +, toothed +  and serrate +
shape +  and size +
dioicous +  and sexual +
differentiated +  and not differentiated +
persistent +
reddish pigmented +
slit-like +
serrate to smooth +
subulate +
Prodr. Aethéogam., +
underground +
rounded +  and elliptical +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br />) +
hyaline-margined +
short-rectangular +  and more or less isodiametric +
ovate;obovate +
differentiated +
larger +  and minute +
dendroid +  and branching +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
Pogonatum urnigerum +
Pogonatum +
species +
reddish-brown +
unjointed +
obliterated +
thicker +
brownish +, green +  and glaucous green +
female +  and male +