Tortula norvegica (F.Weber) Lindb.

  • 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 norvegica (F.Weber) Lindb.

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants large, 8-25 mm high, in loose, reddish or yellow-brown tufts. Leaves clasping at base, infolded and twisted around the stem when dry, squarrose-recurved when moist, 2.5-3.5 mm long, 1-1.2 mm wide, lingulate-ovate, canaliculate to keeled, acute to acuminate; margins tightly revolute in the lower 3/4; costa strong, red-brown, papillose at back and sometimes serrulate near the apex because of projecting cell ends, excurrent into a serrulate (or sometimes serrate), hyahne hair point that is often red at base or throughout but sometimes broadly hyaline at base; upper cells 13-18 µm, quadrate, polygonal, or rectangular, somewhat collenchymatous, bulging, with 3-6 papillae per cell; basal cells abruptly differentiated, rectangular, 45-100 x 16-23 µm, quadrate to narrowly rectangular at the margins. Dioicous. Setae 15-20 mm long, brown; capsules 3-4 mm long, slightly curved, with an abrupt neck, red-brown; operculum ca. 1.8 mm long, brown; peristome ca. 1.8 mm long, the upper divisions red, twisted ca. 2 turns, the basal membrane white, 1/3-1/2 the total length. Spores 11-15 µm, papillose. Calyptrae ca. 3.5 mm long, brown.

  • Discussion

    Fig. 259

    Tortula norvegica (Web.) Lindb., Ofvers. Fbrh. Kongl. Svenska Vetensk.-Akad. 21: 245. 1864.

    Syntrichia norvegicaWeb., Arch. Syst. Naturgesch. 1(1): 130.1804.

    This species can be distinguished from T. ruralis by its leaves with larger cells, margins less recurved above, and tips consistently acute to acuminate. The hair point is often partially to completely red, but the amount of color seems to vary with shading (Mishler, 1985a).

  • Distribution

    Locally common at high elevations (above 3000 m), on soil and rocks; Mexico, Nuevo Leon, Puebla, Veracruz.—Mexico; western United States; Canada; Greenland; Scotland, Scandinavia, and the mountains of Europe; Asia south to Turkey and the Himalayas; Japan; South Africa.

    North America| Greenland North America| Europe| Asia| Japan Asia| South Africa Africa|