Polytrichum piliferum

Hedwig

Sp. Musc. Frond., 90. 1801,.

Treatment appears in FNA Volume 27. Treatment on page 140. Mentioned on page 23, 134, 139.

Plants small to medium, glaucous green to reddish-brown, in loose tufts. Stems (0.5–) 1–4 cm tall, rather wiry, unbranched, comose at the tips, whitish tomentose only near the base. Leaves (2–) 3–4 mm, erect, straight and slightly incurved when dry, erect-spreading when moist; sheath ovate, ± contracted to the blade; blade linear-lanceolate, turgid, with sharply infolded margins, the leaf apex abruptly contracted to the base of the awn; marginal lamina 5–8 cells wide, 1-stratose, membranous, entire to finely serrulate toward the apex, enclosing the lamellae and overlapping in distal half or more; costa typically smooth abaxially, long-excurrent as a spinulose-toothed, hyaline awn; lamellae in profile crenulate-dentate to serrulate, with crenulations directed towards the leaf apex, (4–) 6–8 cells high, the marginal cells in section conic to distinctly pyriform, terminating in a distinct knob, the marginal cells of the lateral lamellae ovoid, thinner-walled; sheath cells 60–80 × 10–15 µm, elongate-rectangular (4–6:1); cells of marginal lamina transversely elongated, ± irregular and sinuous, smaller toward the margins and obliquely oriented, especially approaching the apex, thick-walled. Sexual condition dioicous; perigonia intense wine-red; perichaetial leaves a little longer than foliage leaves, with hyaline lamina and longer awns. Seta 1–3 cm, stout, flexuose, reddish-brown. Capsule 2.5–3.5 mm, short to almost cubic (1.5–2:1), inclined, becoming horizontal when mature; peristome rather short, 110–180 (–200) µm, divided to 0.6, the teeth about 64, obtuse. Calyptra dirty white to light-brown, enclosing the capsule. Spores 9–12 µm.


Habitat: Shallow well-drained sandy or gravelly soil over rocks and boulders in sunny situations, often associated with Cladonia, in road cuts, old fields, burned over areas, heaths, rocky ridges and moraines, and in dry alpine tundra and late snow areas northward
Elevation: low to moderate elevations

Distribution

V27 172-distribution-map.gif

Greenland, Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., N.S., Nunavut, Ont., P.E.I., Que., Yukon, Ala., Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Conn., Idaho, Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., Mo., Mont., Nebr., N.H., N.J., N.Mex., N.Y., N.C., N.Dak., Ohio, Oreg., Pa., S.Dak., Tenn., Utah, Vt., Va., Wash., W.Va., Wis., Wyo., South America, Europe, Asia, Atlantic Islands (Falkland Islands), Atlantic Islands (Macaronesia), Pacific Islands (Hawaii), Australia, Antarctica

Discussion

Polytrichum piliferum is easily recognized by its habit, growing in short, loose reddish brown clumps, each plant crowned by a whitish tuft of intertwined hyaline awns. The intensely colored, wine-red antheridial rosettes are remarkably flower-like in appearance. The lamella marginal cells are pyriform in section, ending in a distinct knob, except for the lamellae standing in the shade of the inflexed lamina. The leaves of P. piliferum are smooth abaxially and abruptly contracted to the base of the awn; P. juniperinum is a larger plant with reddish rather than hyaline awns; P. hyperboreum is typically fastigiately branched, the leaves with a channeled leaf apex, tapering to a bicolored awn. In Nunavut, it is known from Baffin and Melville islands.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"broadened" is not a number."elongated" is not a number."wide" is not a number."broader" 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.

... more about "Polytrichum piliferum"
prominent +
Gary L. Smith Merrill +
Hedwig +
spinulose-toothed +
weakly-developed +
turgid +  and linear-lanceolate +
abbreviated +
firm-textured +
overlapping +
thick-walled +  and 1-stratose +
entire +  and finely serrulate +
overlapping +
sinuous +
dioicous +  and sexual +
sinuate;fiberlike;elongate;less isodiametric;transversely elongate-hexagonal +
smaller +
membranous +
sparsely ciliate;smooth +
dirty white;light-brown +
cucullate +
reddish +  and purplish brown +
horizontal;inclined +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
long-excurrent +
prolonged +
toothed +
undifferentiated +
Greenland +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.W.T. +, N.S. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Yukon +, Ala. +, Alaska +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Conn. +, Idaho +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Ky. +, La. +, Maine +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, Mo. +, Mont. +, Nebr. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Mex. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, N.Dak. +, Ohio +, Oreg. +, Pa. +, S.Dak. +, Tenn. +, Utah +, Vt. +, Va. +, Wash. +, W.Va. +, Wis. +, Wyo. +, South America +, Europe +, Asia +, Atlantic Islands (Falkland Islands) +, Atlantic Islands (Macaronesia) +, Pacific Islands (Hawaii) +, Australia +  and Antarctica +
low to moderate elevations +
bulging-mammillose +
scabrous +, mammillose +  and smooth +
Shallow well-drained sandy or gravelly soil over rocks and boulders in sunny situations, often associated with Cladonia, in road cuts, old fields, burned over areas, heaths, rocky ridges and moraines, and in dry alpine tundra and late snow areas northward +
distinct +
crenulate-dentate +  and serrulate +
closely-spaced +
photosynthetic +
serrate +, crenulate +  and serrulate +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
straight +
erect-spreading +, incurved +  and erect +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
membranous +
alternating +
1(-3)-stratose +
cuticular-papillose +  and smooth +
infolded +
shape +  and size +
dioicous +  and sexual +
inflexed +  and erect +
toothed +  and plane +
pigmented +  and pale +
single +  and 64 +
slit-like +  and circular +
Sp. Musc. Frond., +
underground +
conic +  and distinctly pyriform +
differentiated +
reddish-brown +
flexuose +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (3 cm30 mm <br />0.03 m <br />) +
hyaline-margined +
elongate-rectangular +
differentiated +
unbranched +  and wiry +
1cm;4cm +
tomentose +  and comose +
Polytrichum piliferum +
Polytrichum +
species +
unjointed +
loose +  and compact +
green +  and reddish-brown +
small +  and medium +