Coscinodon cribrosus

(Hedwig) Spruce

Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. 2, 3: 491. 1849,.

Basionym: Grimmia cribrosa Hedwig Sp. Musc. Frond., 76. 1801
Synonyms: Coscinodon persoonii Hampe Coscinodon pulvinatus Sprengel
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 27. Treatment on page 261. Mentioned on page 259.

Plants 4.5–7 mm, dark olivaceous. Leaves oval to ovatelanceolate, 1.1–1.9 × 0.4–0.7 mm, margins incurved distally, apex plane, awn 0.1–1.1 mm, lamina 2-plicate, plications not always reaching base; basal juxtacostal laminal cells quadrate to long-rectangular, 20–47 × 8–12 µm, evenly thick-walled; basal marginal laminal cells quadrate to rectangular, 12–34 × 6–12 µm, thin or thick end walls and thin lateral walls; medial laminal cells 1-stratose; distal laminal cells 2-stratose. Sexual condition dioicous. Seta 0.8–1.2 mm. Capsule emergent, ovoid to campanulate; peristome present, cribrose, hygrocastique.


Habitat: Acidic, dry sandstone, shale, and granitic boulders and bedrock exposures but also found on volcanic outcrops and granodiorites
Elevation: low to high elevations (0-3300 m)

Distribution

V27 363-distribution-map.gif

Greenland, Alta., B.C., Nfld. and Labr., N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., Que., Yukon, Alaska, Ariz., Colo., Maine, N.Mex., N.Y., S.Dak., Tenn., Tex., Eurasia

Discussion

Coscinodon cribrosus is an uncommon moss known from widely disjunct sites across North America. It has been suggested that this distribution is due to a restricted occurrence on mineral-rich rocks. The sites from Ellesmere Island, Tennessee, Colorado, South Dakota, Thunder Bay, and Alaska support this contention, as they are all reported to be either heavy-metal- or copper-bearing deposits or the specimens are associated with the “copper-moss,” Mielichhoferia mielichhoferi. However, specimens from other areas have been collected on sandstones and shales. The distribution appears to have been largely controlled by the extent of the Cretaceous epicontinental seaway that flooded much of central North America from the Gulf of Mexico to the Yukon (R. I. Hastings 1999). The species does not occur within the boundaries of the seaway except on isolated granodiorite outcrops that were exposed subsequent to the retreat of the seaway. Coscinodon cribrosus is recognized by its 2-plicate, 2-stratose leaves with incurved margins and emergent capsule with a well-developed cribrose peristome. It is the only species of the genus that has a hygrocastique peristome, i.e., its peristome opens when wet and is closed when dry.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Coscinodon cribrosus"
deciduous +  and persistent +
differentiated +
Roxanne I. Hastings +
(Hedwig) Spruce +
not papillose +
toothed +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br />) +
sinuous +  and straight to sometimes +
sinuose-nodulose;quadrate;elongate +
rectangular +
thick +, thin +, 6um +  and 12um +
divided +
Grimmia cribrosa +
undifferentiated +
plicate +  and smooth +
not papillose +
cucullate +  and campanulate +
sulcate +  and smooth +
striate +  and smooth +
ovoid;campanulate +
excurrent;percurrent;excurrent +
subpercurrent +
reniform +, elliptical +  and terete +
usually not markedly larger +
2-stratose +  and 1-stratose +
dioicous +  and sexual +
Greenland +, Alta. +, B.C. +, Nfld. and Labr. +, N.W.T. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, Que. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Ariz. +, Colo. +, Maine +, N.Mex. +, N.Y. +, S.Dak. +, Tenn. +, Tex. +  and Eurasia +
low to high elevations (0-3300 m) +
reproduction +  and asexual +
dioicous +, autoicous +  and sexual +
Acidic, dry sandstone, shale, and granitic boulders and bedrock exposures but also found on volcanic outcrops and granodiorites +
papillose +, mammillose +  and smooth +
8um (?) +  and 12um (?) +
specialized +
dioicous +, autoicous +  and sexual +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.19 cm1.9 mm <br />0.0019 m <br />) +
oval +  and ovatelanceolate +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br />) +
1;multistratose +
thick-walled +  and sinuose +
thick-walled +  and sinuose +
conic;rostrate +
not +  and differentiated +
hygrocastique +
lanceolate;linear +
Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., ser. +
straight +
sigmoid +  and arcuate +
papillose +  and smooth +
short to long +
0.08 cm0.8 mm <br />8.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
ornamented +  and smooth +
globose +
Coscinodon persoonii +  and Coscinodon pulvinatus +
Coscinodon cribrosus +
Coscinodon +
species +
straight +