Tortula heteroloma Cardot

  • Authority

    Sharp, Aaron J., et al. 1994. The Moss Flora of Mexico. Part One: Sphagnales to Bryales. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 69 (1): 1-452.

  • Family

    Pottiaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Tortula heteroloma Cardot

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants small, 1-2 mm high in sparse aggregations or 4-6 mm and densely tufted, bright-green to brown. Leaves crisped and twisted when dry, loosely spreading when moist, 2-3.5 mm long, 1-1.5 mm wide, obovate to lingulate, rounded at the apex or occasionally short-pointed; margins plane and entire; costa strong, brown, smooth, ending a few cells below the apex or occasionally percurrent; upper cells 13-34 x 11-18 µm , irregularly rectangular to hexagonal, thin-walled, with 7-15 papillae per cell; cells of the border short-rectangular and papillose in 1 marginal row and long-rectangular (2-6:1), mostly smooth, thicker-walled, and yellow or brown in 2-3 inner rows; basal cells gradually differentiated. Dioicous. Setae 8-15 mm long, red; capsules about 2 mm long, straight, with an abrupt neck, brown; operculum about 1 mm long, brown; peristome about 0.6 mm long, yellow-brown, straight, the basal membrane about 50 µm high. Spores 11-14 µm, minutely papillose. Calyptrae not seen.

  • Discussion

    Fig. 237

    T. heteroloma Card., Rev. Bryol. 37: 127.1910.

    Tortula heteroloma, restricted to the foothills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, is distinguished by a curious intramarginal leaf border of elongate, smooth cells in several rows edged by a single row of short cells and also by large leaf cells with many minute papillae. See notes under T. eckeliae, which also has a intramarginal leaf border.

  • Distribution

    Locally common, on soil, sometimes over rock, in wet or dry conditions at 500-1800 m elev.; Chihuahua, Jalisco, Zacatecas.—Endemic.

    Mexico North America|