Brachythecium albicans

(Hedwig) Schimper in P. Bruch and W. P. Schimper

in P. Bruch and W. P. Schimper, Bryol. Europ. 6: 23. 1853.

Basionym: Hypnum albicans Hedwig Sp. Musc. Frond., 251. 1801
Synonyms: Brachythecium albicans var. occidentale Renauld & Cardot B. beringianum Kindberg B. pseudoalbicans (Hedwig) H. Robinson Chamberlainia albicans
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 28. Treatment on page 423. Mentioned on page 416, 424, 425, 427, 428, 465.

Plants large, occasionally quite small, in loose to moderately dense mats, usually pale stramineous, occasionally light green, very rarely deep green. Stems to 10 (–16) cm, creeping to ascending, terete-foliate, irregularly pinnate, branches to 8 mm, straight to flexuose, terete-foliate. Stem-leaves erect appressed, straight or slightly falcate, closely imbricate, ovatelanceolate, broadest at 1/7–1/5 leaf length, concave, not or slightly plicate, (1.3–) 1.7–2.8 × (0.4–) 0.6–1.1 mm; base tapered, broadly or occasionally narrowly long-decurrent; margins plane or often recurved almost throughout, entire, rarely serrulate; apex gradually tapered to acumen, acumen long; costa to 40–70% leaf length, slender, terminal spine absent; alar cells subquadrate to short-rectangular, small, 15–30 × 11–15 µm, walls moderately thick, region extensive, of 10–15 × 6–8 cells; laminal cells linear, 40–100 (–125) × 5–9 µm; basal-cells 10–15 µm wide, region in 3 rows. Branch leaves similar, smaller. Sexual condition dioicous. Seta reddish orange, 1–2 cm, smooth. Capsule inclined to horizontal, reddish orange, elongate, curved, 2 mm; annulus separating by fragments; operculum long-conic. Spores dimorphic: 15–18 µm or 11–13 µm; these two types in proportion 1: 1, as tetrads have two big and two small spores.


Habitat: Soil, sandy, open and grassy places, rock
Elevation: low to high elevations (0-3600 m)

Distribution

V28 655-distribution-map.gif

Greenland, Alta., B.C., Nfld. and Labr., N.S., Que., Alaska, Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., Oreg., S.Dak., Wash., Wyo., Mexico (Nuevo León), South America, Europe, n Asia, Atlantic Islands, Pacific Islands (New Zealand), Australia

Discussion

Despite numerous records and misidentified herbarium collections from many of the states, Brachythecium albicans is common only in the Pacific coast region and the mountains of the West. The species is distinguished by the pale color, julaceous foliage, filiform and somewhat secund acumina, entire leaf margins that are often recurved along most of the leaf length, and elongate alar region. This species is variable, often producing very thin shoots, with stem leaves as small as 1.3 × 0.4 mm, but usually such collections include some larger shoots that imply more typical B. albicans. Branches of specimens from California can be as long as 18 mm. Differentiation from the Arctic 15. B. coruscum is discussed under that species. The name B. albicans is used, despite preliminary molecular data that demonstrate differences between American and northeastern Asian populations from European plants; if further study proves that they are not conspecific, then the name B. pseudoalbicans should be used for at least the populations from western North America.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"long" is not a number."broad" is not a number.

... more about "Brachythecium albicans"
dioicous +, autoicous +  and sexual +
tapered +
Michael S. Ignatov +
(Hedwig) Schimper in P. Bruch and W. P. Schimper +
10um +  and 15um +
short-decurrent +
rounded +  and narrowed +
long-decurrent +  and tapered +
short to long +
Hypnum albicans +
terete-foliate +
straight;flexuose +
dioicous +  and sexual +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
cucullate +
reddish orange +
inclined +  and horizontal +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (?) +
specialized +
synoicous +, dioicous +, autoicous +, sexual +  and asexual +
subquadrate +  and short-rectangular +
differentiated +
11um +  and 15um +
3 (?) +  and 2 (?) +
discernible +
Greenland +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.S. +, Que. +, Alaska +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, Oreg. +, S.Dak. +, Wash. +, Wyo. +, Mexico (Nuevo León) +, South America +, Europe +, n Asia +, Atlantic Islands +, Pacific Islands (New Zealand) +  and Australia +
low to high elevations (0-3600 m) +
not adherent +
Soil, sandy, open and grassy places, rock +
5um (?) +  and 9um (?) +
pointed +
slender +
serrulate +  and entire +
long-conic +
perfect +  and xerocastique +
hygrocastique +
not plicate +  and crumpled +
in P. Bruch and W. P. Schimper, Bryol. Europ. +
pellucid +, opaque +  and otherwise +
not +  and conspicuous +
extensive +
reddish orange +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
small +  and big +
0.13 cm1.3 mm <br />0.0013 m <br /> (0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br />) +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
1.7mm;2.8mm +
concave +, ovatelanceolate +  and falcate +
0.6mm;1.1mm +
terete-foliate +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (16 cm160 mm <br />0.16 m <br />) +
not reddish +
creeping +  and ascending +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
Brachythecium albicans var. occidentale +, B. beringianum +, B. pseudoalbicans +  and Chamberlainia albicans +
Brachythecium albicans +
Brachythecium +
species +
incrassate +
green +, light green +  and pale stramineous +