Anomodon attenuatus (Hedw.) Hübener

  • Authority

    Buck, William R. 1998. Pleurocarpous mosses of the West Indies. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 82: 1-400.

  • Family

    Anomodontaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Anomodon attenuatus (Hedw.) Hübener

  • Description

    Species Description - Plants medium-sized, in dull, dark olive-green to golden-brown, fairly lax, somewhat stiff mats. Stems creeping, to ca. 5 cm long, often shorter, slender, sparsely radiculose, without primary and secondary stem differentiation, branches arising laterally from creeping stems, irregularly but densely branched with slender, usually branched, attenuate to flagellate branches; in cross-section with 2-3 rows of small thick-walled cells surrounding larger thinner-walled cells, central strand none; paraphyllia none; pseudoparaphyllia none; axillary hairs with a single short brown basal cell and 2-3 elongate hyaline distal cells. Stem and branch leaves differentiated, stem leaves broadly ovate to ovate-oblong, 0.5-0.7 mm long, abruptly acuminate, long-decurrent; margins papillose-crenulate, plane or revolute at base of acumen; costa single, yellow, extending to base of acumen; cells oval to rounded-hexagonal, ca. 1.5:1, smooth, firm-walled, juxtacostal cells in wide band extending ca. 1/2 the leaf length, oblong, 2-4:1, smooth, thick-walled; alar cells differentiated in large marginal areas almost to midleaf, subquadrate, firm-walled, pluripapillose. Branch leaves ± erect and homomallous when dry, rapidly erect-spreading and ± complanate when moist, broadly oblong-lanceolate from an expanded base, 0.7-1 mm long, acute, mostly apiculate, decurrent; margins subentire except for projecting papillae throughout and a few teeth at extreme apex, plane; costa single, yellow, ending ca. 7/8 the leaf length; cells subquadrate to rhombic, 5.5-8.5 µm wide, densely and obscurely pluripapillose, thin-walled, those in the extreme apex smooth, becoming oblong, smooth, and firm-walled in 4-9 rows juxtacostally at the insertion; alar region decurrent, decurrencies 4-6(-8) cells wide, cells not differentiated except smooth in decurrencies. Asexual propagula none. Dioicous. [Sporophytes not known from the West Indies; description based on U.S. material.] Perichaetia not greatly enlarged; leaves pale, ± erect, apices recurved when dry, sheathing at base, oblong-lanceolate, ca. 1.3 mm long, gradually and broadly acuminate, concave; margins subentire above, crenulate below, plane; costa none or with a single costa ending in upper acumen but not reaching the insertion; cells rounded-oblong, smooth, firm-walled, becoming more elongate and thin-walled juxtacostally toward the insertion. Setae elongate, smooth, pale-orange, 1.3-2.7 cm long, mostly ca. 2 cm; capsules erect and symmetric, cylindric, 2-3 mm long; exothecial cells short-rectangular, firm-walled, becoming subquadrate in 3-5 rows at the mouth; annulus none but row of exothecial cells at mouth with juxtaopercular walls thin; operculum conic-rostrate, straight or slightly oblique, ca. 1/2 as long as the urn; columella very slender, exserted; exostome teeth bone-white when dry, yellowish white when moist, narrowly triangular, not shouldered, narrowly bordered, on the front surface cross-striolate with overlying papillae in the lower 1/2, papillose-spiculose above, weakly trabeculate at back; endostome with a medium-high, papillose basal membrane, segments spiculose, slender, keeled, narrowly perforate, cilia none or rudimentary. Spores spherical, papillose, 8.5-17 µm diam. Calyptrae cucullate, naked, smooth.

  • Discussion

    2. Anomodon attenuatus (Hedw.) Huebener, Muscol. Germ. 562. 1833; Leskea attenuata Hedw., Sp. Muse. Frond. 230. 1801; Hypnum attenuatum (Hedw.) Sm., Fl.Brit. 3: 1279. 1804, hom. illeg., non Dicks, ex With., Syst. Arr. Brit. Pl. ed. 4, 3: 342. 1801 [= Pseudoleskea incurvata (Hedw.) Loeske], nec Brid., Bryol. Univ. 2: 448. 1827, hom. illeg. [= Brachythecium oxycladon (Brid.) A. Jaeger]; Neckera attenuata (Hedw.) Myrin, Coroll. Fl. Upsal. 51. 1833. Plate 66, figures 14-18 Anomodon wrightii Müll. Hal., Hedwigia 37: 262. 1898. Discussion. Anomodon attenuatus is distinguished by its oblong-lanceolate leaves with densely papillose cells. The stem leaves, though rarely studied, are striking in their very different shape and areolation from the branch leaves. In the field the attenuate, drooping branches are an easy means of recognition.

  • Distribution

    Range. Eastern North America west to the Rocky Mountains, Mexico, Guatemala, Europe, central Asia; Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and Dominican Republic); usually growing on soil, sometimes rocks or less often bark, in open woodlands, at 500-1500 m.

    North America| Europe| Kazakhstan Europe| Kyrgyzstan Europe| Tajikistan Europe| Turkmenistan Europe| Uzbekistan Europe| Cuba South America| Jamaica South America| Haiti South America| Dominican Republic South America|