Tortula plinthobia

(Sullivant & Lesquereux) Brotherus in H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl

in H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl, Nat. Pfanzenfam. 214[I,3]: 430. 1902,.

Basionym: Desmatodon plinthobius Sullivant & Lesquereux in A. Gray, Manual ed. 2, 628. 1856
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 27. Treatment on page 596. Mentioned on page 589, 590, 599.

Leaves ovate to long-ovate, occasionally ovatelanceolate, apex broadly acute to rounded, short to long-awned, margins recurved or revolute in distal 4/5 to apex or nearly so, not bordered; costa short to long-excurrent, lacking an adaxial pad of cells, distally narrow, 4 (–6) cells across the convex adaxial surface; distal laminal cells hexagonal, 10–13 µm wide, 1: 1, strongly papillose with 2-fid papillae. Sexual condition apparently dioicous but probably monoicous, uncommonly clearly autoicous. Sporophytes exerted. Seta 0.6–1 cm. Capsule stegocarpic, cylindric, erect and nearly straight, urn length ca. 2 mm; peristome often dehiscent with the operculum, ca. 120–200 µm, teeth of 16 flattened, irregular, oblong segments, weakly twisted, variously divided into 2 branches, basal membrane absent but teeth cohering basally, or present and low; operculum 0.5–1 mm. Spores 8–10 µm, spheric, finely papillose or essentially smooth.


Phenology: Capsules mature spring.
Habitat: Calcareous rocks, sedimentary outcrops, concrete, mortar, pavements, walls
Elevation: low to moderate elevations

Distribution

V27 852-distribution-map.gif

Ala., Calif., Colo., Fla., Ga., Ill., Ind., Iowa, Kans., Ky., La., Miss., Mo., Nebr., Nev., N.J., N.Mex., N.C., Okla., Pa., S.C., Tex., Utah, Wis.

Discussion

The degenerate peristome is the major distinguishing trait of Tortula plinthobia, which is widespread but endemic to the flora area. It is doubtfully distinct from T. muralis at the species level, and the similar gametophyte coupled with the flattened, weakly twisted 16 teeth, each divided into 2 branches, indicates that this peristome type, also associated with the old genus Desmatodon, is not in itself a trait implying taxonomic distinction at the genus level.

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 "Tortula plinthobia"
smooth +  and papillose +
smooth +  and papillose +
4 +  and lacking +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br />) +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br />) +
of 1-2 rows +  and differentiated +
long-excurrent +  and short-excurrent +
broadly acute +  and rounded +
Richard H. Zander +  and Patricia M. Eckel +
(Sullivant & Lesquereux) Brotherus in H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl +
semicircular +  and elliptical +
semicircular +, elliptical +  and rounded +
papillose +  and smooth +
usually slightly wider +
usually ovate;oblong +
differentiated +
Desmatodon plinthobius +
obovoid +
cucullate +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (?) +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
dark-brown +  and yellowish-brown +
cleistocarpous +  and stegocarpous +
cylindric +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br />) +
monoicous +, dioicous +  and sexual +
twisted +, vesiculose +  and thicker-walled +
1 +  and 3 +
elongate-rhomboid +  and elongate +
tomentose +  and bare +
long-excurrent +
subpercurrent +
autoicous +, monoicous +, dioicous +  and sexual +
Ala. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Fla. +, Ga. +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Iowa +, Kans. +, Ky. +, La. +, Miss. +, Mo. +, Nebr. +, Nev. +, N.J. +, N.Mex. +, N.C. +, Okla. +, Pa. +, S.C. +, Tex. +, Utah +  and Wis. +
low to moderate elevations +
differentiated +
multicellular +
Calcareous rocks, sedimentary outcrops, concrete, mortar, pavements, walls +
somewhat larger +
yellow +  and orange-red or red +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> (0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br />) +
concave;keeled;channeled;ovoid;lanceolate or lingulate +
spreading +  and appressed-incurved +
ovatelanceolate +, ovate +  and long-ovate +
reduced +
serrulate +  and entire +
smaller +
rostrate;long-conic +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
differentiated +
photosynthetic +
simple +  and hollow +
4 +  and 6 +
lateral +  and terminal +
lateral +  and terminal +
red +, orange +  and yellow +
consisting of 16 mostly 2 times cleft spiculose striate or papillose lanceolate teeth , , , , +  and rudimentary +
Capsules mature spring. +
in H. G. A. Engler and K. Prantl, Nat. Pfanzenfam. +
straight +
oblong +  and flattened +
not twisted +  and twisted +
brown;yellowish-brown +
elongate +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br />) +
2 +  and 1 +
orange +, red +, yellow +, laminal +  and light-brown +
spheric +
4 cm40 mm <br />0.04 m <br /> (10 cm100 mm <br />0.1 m <br />) +
rounded-pentagonal +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
Desmatodon +, Phascum +, Pottia +  and Protobryum +
Tortula plinthobia +
species +
ovoid;cylindric +
rudimentary +
32 (?) +  and 16 (?) +
divided +
yellow distally and red +, orange +, red +  and yellow +
rectangular +
thickened +, thin +  and thicker +
stemless +  and perigoniate +
yellowbrown;dark-brown +
occasionally smaller than the perichaetiate +