Niphotrichum pygmaeum

(Frisvoll) (Bednarek-Ochyra) Bednarek-Ochyra & Ochyra in R. Ochyra et al.

in R. Ochyra et al., Cens. Cat. Polish Mosses, 139. 2003,.

Basionym: Racomitrium pygmaeum Frisvoll Gunneria 41: 83, figs. 14a, 16g, 18b, 27–29. 1983
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 27. Treatment on page 290. Mentioned on page 289, 291.

Plants small and fairly slender, olivaceous to greenish yellow. Stems 0.5–1.8 (–2.5) cm, ascending, subpinnately or occasionally pinnately branched to almost unbranched, usually radiculose throughout. Leaves imbricate, not or slightly altered when dry, erect-spreading to weakly recurved when moist, ovatelanceolate, 1.5–1.8 × 0.5–0.6 mm; margins recurved throughout or often not or only weakly recurved distally the base; piliferous or rarely muticous, awn erect-flexuose, fairly long on the uppermost leaves, subulate, non-decurrent, slightly denticulate, epapillose throughout or faintly papillose in the proximal part; costa percurrent, sharply delimited from the laminal cells, superficial and not situated in a groove; 35–55 µm wide at the base; basal laminal cells rectangular, 15–45 × 4–6 µm, with moderately thickened, porose and nodulose longitudinal walls, epapillose in 2–3 cell rows at the insertion; alar cells mostly subquadrate to short-rectangular, pellucid in 3–5 (–6) rows, forming a small, not or weakly convex group; supra-alar cells quadrate to subquadrate, thin and straight-walled, forming a marginal border consisting of up to 15 cells; medial and distal laminal cells short-rectangular to subquadrate, 6–25 × 6–10 µm, opaque due to relatively dense and coarse papillae. Sporophytes unknown.


Habitat: Dry and open acidic ground in alpine heaths
Elevation: moderate to high elevations (1900-2500 m)

Discussion

Of conservation concern.

Niphotrichum pygmaeum is known only from a few collections in British Columbia and Washington. It is the rarest and smallest species of the genus, readily known by its awn, which is epapillose or only slightly papillose at the base, percurrent costa, which is not situated in a channel, small and flat auricles, and opaque distal laminal cells that are yellow and fairly densely and conspicuously papillose.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.
... more about "Niphotrichum pygmaeum"
muticous +  and short-acuminate +
decurrent +  and inflated +
Ryszard Ochyra +  and Halina Bednarek-Ochyra +
(Frisvoll) (Bednarek-Ochyra) Bednarek-Ochyra & Ochyra in R. Ochyra et al. +
capillaceous +
erect-flexuose +
papillose +
denticulate +, non-decurrent +  and subulate +
nodulose;oblate;quadrate;elongate +
divided +
35um +  and 55um +
Racomitrium pygmaeum +
2;3;2;numerous +
papillose +
linear-subulate +  and tuft-like +
undifferentiated +
naked +, plicate +  and smooth +
lobed +, lacerated +, mitrate-campanulate +, mitrate +  and cucullate +
small;large +
smooth to somewhat +  and sulcate +
obloid;cylindric +
straight-walled +
0 +  and 15 +
2 (?) +  and 3 (?) +
quadrate +  and subquadrate +
enlarged +
superficial +
35um +  and 55um +
B.C. +  and Wash. +
moderate to high elevations (1900-2500 m) +
Dry and open acidic ground in alpine heaths +
thick-walled +  and sinuose +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
erect-spreading +  and weakly recurved +
ovatelanceolate +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
muticous +  and piliferous +
long-subulate +
piliferous;obtuse;acute +
cribrose +  and perforated +
lanceolate;linear +
in R. Ochyra et al., Cens. Cat. Polish Mosses, +
yellowish +  and blackish red +
sinistrorse +  and erect +
papillose +  and smooth +
short to long +
ornamented +  and smooth +
globose +
unbranched +, branched to almost +  and branched +
1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br /> (2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (1.8 cm18 mm <br />0.018 m <br />) +
Niphotrichum pygmaeum +
Niphotrichum sect. Elongata +
species +
divided +
nodulose +
olivaceous;greenish yellow +
slender;small +