Didymodon brachyphyllus

(Sullivant) R. H. Zander

Phytologia 41: 24. 1978,.

Basionym: Barbula brachyphylla Sullivant in War Department [U.S.], Pacif. Railr. Rep. 4: 186, plate 2. 1856
Synonyms: Barbula olivacea (Mitten) Bescherelle Didymodon reedii H. Robinson Didymodon vinealis var. brachyphyllus (Sullivant) R. H. Zander
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 27. Treatment on page 554. Mentioned on page 538, 542, 548, 555, 572.

Plants green to dark green, usually with a reddish cast. Stems to 1 cm, central strand present. Stem-leaves appressed to weakly spreading when dry, spreading but stiff and not keeled when moist, monomorphic, ovate to ovatelanceolate, grooved adaxially along the costa, often cucullate near leaf apex, 0.7–1 mm, base scarcely differentiated to ovate in shape, margins weakly recurved to near apex of leaf, entire, apex broadly acute or blunt, not fragile, often ending in 1–3 celled apiculus; costa ending shortly before the apex or percurrent, seldom weakly excurrent, often weakly spurred, little widened towards apex, little tapering, sometimes rather thick and bulging adaxially, lacking an adaxial thin-walled pad of cells or this poorly developed, adaxial costal cells quadrate to shortrectangular, 4 (–6) cells wide at mid leaf, guide cells in 1 (–2) layers; basal laminal cells differentiated medially or across the leaf, walls mostly thin, quadrate to shortrectangular, not perforated; distal laminal cells 7–10 µm wide, 1: 1, nearly smooth or papillae simple or 2-fid, 2–3 per lumen, lumens quadrate or roundedquadrate, walls somewhat thickened, weakly convex on both sides of lamina, distal leaf margins 1-stratose or occasionally 2-stratose in patches. Specialized asexual reproduction by axillary, multicellular gemmae. Seta 0.8–1 cm. Capsule 1.5–2.5 mm; peristome teeth rudimentary or 32, linear, twisted 1/2, 200–250 µm, delicate and commonly coming off with the operculum. Spores 10–13 µm. Distal laminal KOH reaction yellow or redbrown.


Phenology: Capsules mature spring–fall.
Habitat: Soil, limestone, lava, mortar, steppe, road banks, near spring, streamside, arid grassland, soil over lava, sandstone cliffs
Elevation: low to high elevations (80-2300 m)

Distribution

V27 795-distribution-map.gif

Greenland, B.C., Alaska, Ariz., Calif., Colo., Idaho, Mont., N.Mex., Oreg., Utah, Wash., Mexico, Atlantic Islands (Iceland), Antarctica

Discussion

A largely arid land species, Didymodon brachyphyllus, has an ovate leaf shape, margins only moderately recurved, and costa ending before the apex, which may terminate in a small conical cell or apiculus. Propagula are not always produced. Although the KOH reaction is commonly red, it may be yellow but not negative, as in D. tectorum. Didymodon luridus Sprengel (see R. H. Zander 1978e) does not occur in the flora area, though reported from there by many authors (often as D. trifarius, see Zander 1981). It differs in the triangular leaves and the smooth, more homogeneous and smaller distal laminal cells, 6–9 µm. American collections identified as this species are commonly actually D. brachyphyllus, D. nicholsonii, D. tophaceus, or D. vinealis. Small forms of D. nicholsonii have the leaf shape of D. brachyphyllus but the lamina is 2-stratose. Sterile Grimmia species are similar, but a small hyaline apex is commonly found on at least some Grimmia leaves. Small forms of D. vinealis may be confused with D. brachyphyllus but the latter never has lanceolate leaves, and its perichaetial leaves are also short and rather deltoid. Didymodon tectorum is similar but has larger leaves, usually green in nature, broadly rectangular leaf base, and an excurrent costa. Didymodon revolutus is similar but has unicellular gemmae. The exsiccat N. Amer. Musci Perf. 404, distributed by A. J. Grout as Husnotiella torquescens, is D. brachyphyllus with operculate sporophytes having rudimentary peristomes.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"um" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property."um" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Didymodon brachyphyllus"
quadrate +  and elongate +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
channeled +, concave +  and long-triangular +
0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
of 1-2 rows +  and differentiated +
excurrent +  and percurrent +
not fragile +
blunt +  and acute +
widened +
1 +  and 3 +
Richard H. Zander +
(Sullivant) R. H. Zander +
weak +  and strong +
ovate +  and crescent--shaped +
papillose +  and smooth +
across the leaf +  and differentiated +
usually slightly wider +
differentiated +
Barbula brachyphylla +
obovoid +
cucullate +
stegocarpous +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
monoicous +, dioicous +  and sexual +
flat to bulging +
thin;thick +
1 +  and 10 +
hexagonal +
tomentose +  and bare +
tapering +
quadrate +  and rectangular +
occasionally weakly dentate or crenulate +  and entire +
subquadrate;hexagonal or rounded-angular occasionally shortly rectangular or rhomboid +
Greenland +, B.C. +, Alaska +, Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Idaho +, Mont. +, N.Mex. +, Oreg. +, Utah +, Wash. +, Mexico +, Atlantic Islands (Iceland) +  and Antarctica +
low to high elevations (80-2300 m) +
differentiated +
multicellular +
occasional +
Soil, limestone, lava, mortar, steppe, road banks, near spring, streamside, arid grassland, soil over lava, sandstone cliffs +
yellow +  and orange-red or red +
grooved +  and monomorphic +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
spreading +, appressed +  and weakly spreading +
cucullate;ovate;ovatelanceolate +
2-stratose +  and 1-stratose +
spreading +  and strongly reflexed +
ovate +, keeled +  and curled +
reduced +
specialized +
dioicous +  and sexual +
roundedquadrate +  and quadrate +
short-conic;long-conic +
photosynthetic +
2 +  and 3 +
lateral +  and terminal +
lateral +  and terminal +
red +, orange +  and yellow +
oblong +  and linear or long-triangular +
Capsules mature spring–fall. +
1 (?) +  and 2 (?) +
straight +
yellowish;reddish-brown +
elongate +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
2 +  and 1 +
redbrown +  and yellow +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
rounded-triangular +  and rounded-pentagonal +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
Barbula olivacea +, Didymodon reedii +  and Didymodon vinealis var. brachyphyllus +
Didymodon brachyphyllus +
Didymodon +
species +
elliptic;cylindric +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
rudimentary +
not perforated +
red +  and yellow +
convex +  and quadrate +
stemless +  and perigoniate +