Pterobryaceae

Diagnosis: Plants medium-sized, in loose, dull or somewhat shiny, yellow-green or brownish mats. Secondary stems erect-ascending, straight or curved, simple or sparsely branched, up to 3 cm long, often bearing filiform, septate brood bodies in leaf axils. Leaves crowded, loosely appressed and wrinkled or ± plicate when dry, erect spreading when moist, somewhat concave, 1-2 mm long, oblong-ovate or oblong-lanceolate, acute or gradually acuminate; margins revolute nearly to the apex, entire or crenulate at the apex; costa single, slender, ending at or above midleaf; cells linear-flexuose, with 1 or sometimes 2-4 papillae on both surfaces or rarely smooth, small and subquadrate in numerous rows at the basal angles. Setae 4-6 mm long, straight or slightly flexuose, smooth; capsules exerted, erect and symmetric, oblong-cylindric ca. 2 mm long; exostome with a well developed prostome; endostome smooth, with a low basal membrane, perforate, almost as long as the teeth.

Distribution: U.S (Florida); Mexico; Central America; Caribbean, South America; Africa; SE Asia

Ecology: In ± open, mesic to dry forest, 200-1000 m, usually on twigs or less often on tree trunks.

Notes: The species is distinguished by mostly unbranched, erect secondary stems with revolute-margined leaves. The leaf cells are generally unipapillose and the costa ends well below the leaf apex. Gemmae are regularly produced on older secondary stems in large clusters in upper leaf axils.

Basionym: Leucodon geniculatus Mitt.

Basionym Citation: Journal of the Linnean Society, Botany 12: 409. 1869.

Other Published Figures: W. R. Buck. 1998. Pleurocarpous mosses of the West Indies. Plate 60 (1-7).