Dicranaceae

Diagnosis: Plants small, dull green to yellowish green; stems 3-25 mm tall. Leaves erect-flexuose to subsecund, narrowly lanceolate, gradually tapered to a broadly rounded or obtuse apex; margins narrowly recurved, entire below, serrulate at apex; costa percurrent; upper leaf cells subquadrate to short rectangular; lower cells rectangular. Setae yellowish, becoming red with age, straight or flexuose, 5-16 mm long; capsules erect, ovoid to subcylindric; annuli compound, revoluble; peristome 0.25-0.35 mm long, striate-papillose below, papillose and hyaline above, divided more than halfway to the base. Spores papillose, 16-20 µm diameter.

Distribution: Southeastern and South-Central U.S.; Mexico; Central America; Caribbean, Western and Northern South America, Brazil

Ecology: Humid or wet lowland to premontane forest, usually exposed sites, rather common along banks of trails, roads, streams and rivers, on soil (clay, sandy) and rocks, 0-2500 m

Notes: This species is characterized by its upper leaves that are broadly lanceolate and triangular at base and obtuse or broadly acute apices and narrowly recurved margins.

Basionym: Dicranum hilarianum Mont.

Basionym Citation: Annales des Sciences Naturelles; Botanique, sér. 2, 12: 52. 1 f. 2. 1839.

Type Locality: The type collection was made in Brazil by St. Hilaire.

Other Published Figures: Crum & Anderson. 1991. Mosses of Eastern North America. fig. 68 F-M; W. D. Reese. 1984. Mosses of the Gulf South. fig. 22 H-I.