Wilfred B. Schofield

Scleropodium sect. Pseudoscleropodium Limpricht, Laubm. Deutschl. 3: 142. 1896 (as Pseudo-Scleropodium)

Plants large, in loose mats, yellowish to golden green. Stems reclining to suberect, julaceous, regularly to irregularly pinnate, branches loosely terete-foliate; central strand present; pseudoparaphyllia orbicular-triangular; axillary hairs of 4-9 cells. Stem leaves erect or appressed, crowded and imbricate to loosely arranged, broadly ovate to oblong, strongly concave, weakly plicate when dry; base scarcely decurrent; margins entire to weakly toothed; apex gradually tapered, rounded-obtuse, apiculate; costa to 30-70% leaf length, slender, terminal spine absent; ; laminal cells linear-flexuose, <10:1>. Branch leaves similar. Sexual condition dioicous; [inner perichaetial leaves erect, apex subulate-acuminate. Seta brown when mature, smooth. Capsule inclined to pendulous, reddish brown, oblong-cylindric, curved; annulus well defined, of 2 rows of cells; operculum bluntly conic. Calyptra naked. Spores 11-13 µm].

Species 1: introduced; Europe; introduced nearly worldwide, primarily in temperate areas.

SELECTED REFERENCES Lawton, E. 1960. Pseudoscleropodium purum in the Pacific Northwest. Bryologist 63: 235-237. Miller, N. G. 2000. First records of a European moss, Pseudoscleropodium purum, naturalized in New England. Rhodora 102: 514-517. Miller, N. G. and N. Trigoboff. 2001. A European feather moss, Pseudoscleropodium purum, naturalized widely in New York State in cemeteries. Bryologist 104: 98-103.

Lower Taxon

• Pseudoscleropodium purum (Hedwig) M. Fleischer ex Brotherus