Polytrichum commune var. perigoniale

(Michaux) Hampe

Linnaea 13: 44. 1839,.

Basionym: Polytrichum perigoniale Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 293. 1803
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 27. Treatment on page 136. Mentioned on page 135.

Plants in compact, rather dense tufts. Stems to 6 cm. Leaves densely imbricate and crowded, somewhat less sharply toothed than in var. commune; marginal cells of lamellae in section narrow, more shallowly grooved; perichaetial leaves conspicuous and ribbonlike, exceeding the foliage leaves, mostly hyaline, subentire, ending in a long, nearly smooth awn. Capsule short-rectangular to cubic.


Habitat: Humus and moist sandy soil, open woods, and roadside banks
Elevation: mainly low elevations

Distribution

V27 166-distribution-map.png

B.C., N.B., N.S., Ont., Yukon, Alaska, Ark., Conn., Fla., Ill., Ky., La., Maine, Md., Mass., Mich., Mo., N.J., N.Y., N.C., Okla., Pa., R.I., S.C., Tenn., Va., Wash., Wyo., Europe, n Africa

Discussion

Variety perigoniale has a distinctly “bushy” aspect, the leaves thick set and densely imbricate. The typical expression is common on the Atlantic coastal plain, as in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey (the type was from Carolina). Elsewhere, its distribution and ecology are poorly documented, but it is probably not simply a dry land phase (H. A. Crum and L. E. Anderson 1981), occurring sporadically throughout the range of the species. The perichaetial leaves are not only longer than the foliage leaves, but distinctly ribbon-like, irregularly twisted and curled when dry.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"broadened" is not a number."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."broader" is not a number.

prominent +
Gary L. Smith Merrill +
(Michaux) Hampe +
Polytrichum perigoniale +
weakly-developed +
narrowed +  and lanceolate +
reduced +
firm-textured +
overlapping +
dioicous +  and sexual +
subquadrate;toothed +
sparsely ciliate;smooth +
golden yellow;brownish +
cucullate +
brown +  and dark reddish-brown +
inclined;horizontal +
short-rectangular +  and cubic +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
long-excurrent +  and excurrent +
prolonged +
roughened to almost +
toothed +
undifferentiated +
B.C. +, N.B. +, N.S. +, Ont. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Ark. +, Conn. +, Fla. +, Ill. +, Ky. +, La. +, Maine +, Md. +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Mo. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, N.C. +, Okla. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, S.C. +, Tenn. +, Va. +, Wash. +, Wyo. +, Europe +  and n Africa +
mainly low elevations +
bulging-mammillose +
scabrous +, mammillose +  and smooth +
Humus and moist sandy soil, open woods, and roadside banks +
closely-spaced +
photosynthetic +
5 +  and 9 +
crenulate +
crowded +  and imbricate +
0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br /> (1.2 cm12 mm <br />0.012 m <br />) +
flexuose +
spreading +  and broadly recurved +
somewhat less sharply toothed +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
membranous +
alternating +
cuticular-papillose +  and smooth +
denticulate +  and subentire +
shape +  and size +
dioicous +  and sexual +
retuse;deeply notched +
more typically enlarged and wider +
extensive +
pigmented +  and pale +
250 cm2,500 mm <br />2.5 m <br /> (?) +
single +  and 64 +
slit-like +  and circular +
underground +
differentiated +
yellowish +  and reddish-brown +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (9 cm90 mm <br />0.09 m <br />) +
scarious-margined +
elongate-rectangular +  and linear +
involute-tubular;oblong;elliptic +
differentiated +
leafy +, bracteate +  and simple +
10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br /> (70 cm700 mm <br />0.7 m <br />) +
stiffly erect +  and decumbent +
wooly-tomentose +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (6 cm60 mm <br />0.06 m <br />) +
Polytrichum commune var. perigoniale +
Polytrichum commune +
variety +
acuminate +
unjointed +
loose +  and compact +
dark green +  and brownish +