Plants small, medium-sized to large, fairly slender to coarse and rigid. Stems 1–13 cm long, prostrate, ascending to erect, sparsely irregularly ramified to almost unbranched. Leaves lanceolate or ovatelanceolate, straight to curved; margins recurved on both sides to 1/2–3/4 the leaf length, sometimes to the apex, variously 1–2 (–4) -stratose in 1–3 (–6) cell rows; muticous or piliferous, awns erect or erect-recurved, not or slightly flexuose, stout, terete, strongly or moderately denticulate or spinulose-denticulate, not or slightly decurrent; costa 3–4-stratose and strongly convex abaxially in the proximal portion; alar cells undifferentiated; basal marginal border present. Inner perichaetial leaves slightly differentiated, hyaline and sheathing in the proximal portion, chlorophyllose distally, usually piliferous and with the areolation similar to that in the vegetative leaves. Peristome teeth with a basal membrane.

Distribution

North America, South America, Arctic and temperate Asia, Atlantic Islands, Australia, Antarctica

Discussion

Species 4 (4 in the flora).

The slightly differentiated innermost perichaetial bracts that are ovate-lanceolate and similar to the vegetative leaves, the stout, terete or somewhat flattened, not flexuose and variously denticulate and spinulose awn, presence of the basal marginal border, laminal cells tending to be short or very short in the distal portion, and strong, 3–4-stratose costa in the basal part are diagnostic of sect. Sudeticae.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

Bucklandiella brevipes, Bucklandiella macounii, Bucklandiella occidentalis, Bucklandiella sudetica

Key

1	Costa canaliculate, very broad, 100-120 µm, with 6-9 adaxial cells in the basal part; laminal cells strongly pseudopapillose; awns broad and decurrent, coarsely denticulate and spinulose.	Bucklandiella brevipes
1	Costa carinate, narrower, 60-100 µm, with 3-4(-5) adaxial cells in the basal part; laminal cells not or weakly pseudopapillose; awns not decurrent, less coarsely papillose and denticulate	> 2
2	Costa shallowly grooved and winged on the abaxial side, asymmetric in outline; leaf margins lumpy distally; awns present, terete, sharply spinulose.	Bucklandiella occidentalis
2	Costa symmetric in outline, not furrowed and winged abaxially; leaf margins smooth, awns present or absent, not terete, weakly and obtusely denticulate and spinulose	> 3
3	Leaf margins regularly 2(-3)-stratose for 2-4(-6) cell rows; costa predominantly 4-stratose basally; awns, if present, short, to 0.2 mm, yellowish or reddish hyaline; plants mostly reddish brown	Bucklandiella macounii
3	Leaf margins 1-2-stratose for 1 cell row or occasionally 2(-3)-stratose for 2(-3) cell rows; costa predominantly (2-)3(-4)-stratose basally; awns present, longer than 0.2 mm, hyaline; plants never reddish brown.	Bucklandiella sudetica

"-2(-4)-stratose" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.