Fissidens saxatilis Tuz. & Nog., J. Jap. Bot. 24: 145. f. 1. 1949. Fissidens strictulus C. Müll., Nuovo Giorn. Bot. Ital., n. ser. 5: 159. 1898. Type. China: Shaanxi (Schen-si), Tui-kio-san (Taibai Shan), IX 1896, P. J. Giraldi s.n. (isotype FI). Fissidens subxiphioides Broth., Symb. Sin. 4: 9. 1929. Type. China: Yunnan, Li-jiang Co., 2900–3100 m, Handel-Mazzetti 6604 (holotype H).

Plants very small, growing in dense tufts; fertile and sterile stems mixed in the same tufts. Fertile leafy stems ca. 1.5 mm long, 0.8 mm wide, with 3 (rarely) pairs of leaves; sterile leafy stems 1–4 mm long, 0.6–1.0 mm wide, with 4–16 pairs of leaves; axillary hyaline nodules weakly differentiated; central strand lacking. On fertile stems, upper and perichaetial leaves much longer than lower leaves, linear-lanceolate, 0.5–1.4 mm × 0.15–0.20 mm, narrowly acute at apex; leaves of sterile stems similar, lanceolate, 0.8–1.0 mm long, 0.1–0.2 mm wide, acute at apex; base of dorsal laminae wedge-shaped; vaginant laminae 1/2 –2/3 the leaf length; costa shortly excurrent; margins entire; limbidia 2–3 cells wide on apical laminae, 3–7 cells wide in vaginant laminae, 1–2 cells thick in cross- section; cells of apical and dorsal laminae quadrate to irregularly hexagonal, 7–16 µm long, thin-walled; cells at base of vaginant laminae longer, up to 21 µm long. Rhizautoicous. Male buds very small. Archegonia terminal, ca. 240 µm long. Setae 3.5–4.6 mm long, smooth; capsules cylindrical, erect, symmetrical; urns 0.45–0.60 mm long; peristome teeth ca. 0.2 mm long, 32 µm wide at base.

Type. South Africa: Cape Prov., 24 Oct. 1827, Ecklon s.n.

Chinese specimens examined: SICHUAN: Markam Co., Redfearn 35207 (MO); Omei Shan (Mt.), Redfearn 34741 (MO). XIZANG: Lin-zhi (Nyingchi or Pula), Y.-G. Su 2558 (HKAS, NICH). YUNNAN: Da-li Co., Redfearn et al. 1246 (MO); Jing-hong Co., Magill et al. 7742 (MO); Kun-ming City, Redfearn et al. 2220 (MO); Yang-bi Co., Redfearn & Y.-G. Su 981 (MO).

Habitat: on rocks; Distribution: China, India, Japan, and Africa.

Fissidens strictulus was reduced to synonymy of F. curvatus by Bruggeman-Nannenga and Pursell (1995[1996]) based on an examination of the type specimen of F. subxiphioides.

Illustrations: Pl. 77, figs. 15–22.