Pylaisia steerei
Arctoa 10: 174. 2001.
Plants yellowish or whitish. Stems terete-foliate, regularly pinnate, branches 5 mm, creeping or rarely ascending and curved, ± complanate-foliate, partly subjulaceous; pseudoparaphyllia triangular, long-acuminate. Stem and branch leaves well differentiated. Stem-leaves substraight to falcate, broadly ovatelanceolate, gradually narrowed to apex, concave, not plicate, 1.4–1.6 × 0.4–0.7 mm; margins plane, sometimes slightly involute distally; acumen long; costa double, short; alar cells 10–15 along margins, in 5–10 rows; medial laminal cells 40–60 × 4–5 µm. Branch leaves narrowly ovate to oblong-lanceolate, smaller, 1.2–1.4 × 0.3–0.5 mm. Seta 0.7–1.1 cm. Capsule erect, oblong-cylindric, 1.1–1.9 × 0.4–0.6 mm; exothecial cells rounded-rectangular; operculum conic, obliquely short-pointed; peristome perfect, long; exostome teeth lance-subulate, 0.3 mm, base 80 µm wide, roughly papillose distally; endostome free, basal membrane well developed, segments linear-subulate, longer than exostome teeth, 0.4–0.5 mm beyond mouth, papillose distally, not perforate, never split, cilia simple. Spores 15–18 µm.
Phenology: Capsule maturity unknown.
Habitat: Rotten logs and base of tree trunks, forests
Elevation: moderate to high elevations
Distribution
![V28 881-distribution-map.gif](/w/images/a/ad/V28_881-distribution-map.gif)
Alaska, Asia (nw China), Asia (Russian Far East)
Discussion
Pylaisia steerei is the closest relative of P. polyantha. Ando and Higuchi provided full illustration, SEM micrographs of the peristome, and a detailed discussion of this species. In the flora area it is known from only three localities in Alaska. The capsules are somewhat widened at the base.
Selected References
None.