Macrocoma
Bryologist 47: 4. 1944.
| Taxon | Illustrator ⠉ | |
|---|---|---|
 | Macrocoma tenuis subsp. sullivantii | Patricia M. Eckel |
Plants small, in mats. Stems creeping, branches ascending. Leaves closely erect-appressed, not contorted when dry, erect-spreading when moist, lanceolate to ovatelanceolate, not rugose; margins entire; apex acute to narrowly obtuse [bluntly acuminate]; costa percurrent; basal laminal cells rounded to elliptic; distal cells roundedquadrate, 7–12 µm, in vertical rows, smooth [papillose only over lumina]; marginal cells not distinct from basal. Sexual condition gonioautoicous; perichaetial leaves longer than branch leaves. Seta 4–6.5 mm. Capsule exserted, oblong-cylindric to fusiform, ± plicate distally or not, not constricted below mouth; stomata superficial; peristome single, of exostome or endostome; exostome teeth 16 blunt, short, papillose; or endostome basal membrane low, papillose. Calyptra mitrate, long elliptic-conic, basal lobes many, smooth, ± hairy, obscurely plicate, covering capsule. Spores isosporous, unicellular.
Distribution
se United States, Mexico, West Indies, Central America, South America, Asia, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands (Madagascar), Pacific Islands (Hawaii), Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia
Discussion
Species 11 (1 in the flora).
Characters of Macrocoma include the rounded basal laminal cells, slender, irregularly branched stems, leaves erect-appressed when dry, cylindric capsules, peristome often reduced, and calyptra long conic-elliptic. There are often rhizoids present on the abaxial costa surface.
Selected References
None.