Fissidens elegans Brid.

  • 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

    Fissidentaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Fissidens elegans Brid.

  • Description

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    Species Description - Plants small (up to 7.5 mm long), erect to decumbent, glaucous- to dull-green, often tinged with red, simple to branched. Leaves incurved at the tips on drying, 0.8-1.2(-l.6) mm long, oblong to lanceolate, sometimes ± falciform, acute, usually ending in a clear apical cell; margins crenulate on the dorsal and ventral laminae, entire to remotely denticulate and bordered on the vaginant laminae, the border unistratose, sometimes only 1 cell wide, variable in length and occurrence, sometimes on all leaves extending nearly to the apex of the vaginant laminae, sometimes only 1/2 -2/3 their length, sometimes restricted to upper leaves of perichaetial stems, marginal to intramarginal; costa ending 5-8 cells below the apex to percurrent or short-excurrent; dorsal lamina usually rounded to truncate below, not decurrent; vaginant laminae ± equal, (1/2-) 2/3 - 3/4 as long as the leaves; cells obscure, pluripapillose, (4-)5-6(-7) µm long, in cross-section ± 2:1. Gonio- and cladautoicous, probably also rhizautoicous. Setae 1 (-2) per perichaetium, terminal, yellow, 2-3 mm long, capsules mostly erect and symmetric, 0.5-0.8 mm long; opercula longrostrate; peristome teeth finely papillose below, spirally thickened above. Spores 9-13 µm , smooth. Calyptrae cucullate smooth.

  • Discussion

    Figs. 33,34a-e

    F. elegans Brid., Muscol. Recent. Suppl. 1: 167. 1806.

    F. ravenelii Sull., Mem. Amer. Acad. 4: 171. 1849 [1850].

    F. cuspidulatus Sull., Proc. Amer. Acad. 5: 274. 1861.

    F.flavinervis Mitt., J. Linn. Soc, Bot. 12: 592. 1869.

    F.leptopodus Card., Rev. Bryol. 37: 120. 1910 (F. "leptopus" as altered by Crum & Steere, 1957).

    Fissidens elegans is most likely to be confused with F. minutus and F. neglectus, but the clear, sharp cell terminating most or all leaves will distinguish F. elegans. Furthermore, the leaf borders in F. minutus are restricted to the perichaetial and one or two pairs of subtending leaves. Although borders can be absent from s o m e expressions of F. elegans, they are usually found on more leaves than in F. minutus, and the borders can also be marginal to more or less intralaminal, as in F. neglectus. T h e gradually tapered leaves of F. neglectus give further distinction.

  • Distribution

    On soil and rocks or boulders (including linestone) at elevations of 50 to ca. 3000 m; Durango, Nayarit. Puebla, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Veracruz.- Mexico to northern South America; West Indies; southeastern United States.

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