Pterobryaceae

Diagnosis: Plants medium-sized, in green to golden, thin to dense, epiphytic colonies; stipes frondose, irregularly pinnately branched, erect, sometimes with flagellate branches. Stipe leaves erect-appressed, oblong-ovate, ± abruptly short-acuminate, ca. 2 mm long. Branch leaves erect-spreading to spreading, broadly lanceolate, gradually acuminate, strongly concave, not plicate, 1-2 mm long; margins finely serrulate throughout, plane; costa single, subpercurrent; cells short-linear, often prorulose at upper ends, becoming broader, thicker-walled and porose towards the insertion; alar cells few, subquadrate, confined to the base of the auricle. Asexual propagula of 3-12 celled gemmae clustered in leaf axils and of microphyllous flagellate branches. Setae ca. 10 mm long; capsule exerted, ca. 2.5 m long; exostome teeth smooth, often perforate at base; endostome rudimentary. Calyptra cucullate, pilose.

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

Ecology: In humid forest, on tree trunks, branches and limestone, 100-1000 m.

Basionym: Leucodon pohlii Schwägr.

Basionym Citation: Species Muscorum Frondosorum, Supplementum Tertium 1(2): 232. 1828.

Other Published Figures: W. R. Buck. 1998. Pleurocarpous mosses of the West Indies. Plate 55 (1-7).