Scorpiurium cucullatum

Detailed description

Small, dirty-green, interwoven moss with weakly ascending or prostrate, curved branches. Primary stems creeping. Secondary stems 10–20 mm, forked or subpinnately branched, in cross-section oval, with 5 or more layers of thick-walled outer cells and a distinct central strand; rhizoids smooth, brown, sparse. Stem and branch leaves differentiated; branch leaves erect and subtubulose when dry, loosely spreading and concave when moist, elliptic-ovate, widest at or near middle, broadly acute or obtuse, 0.6–0.9 × 0.35–0.40 mm, not decurrent or plicate, margins bluntly denticulate in upper ¼; upper laminal cells (beyond costa) and cells near margins rhombic, firm-walled and smooth, 21–30 × c. 9 microns, mid laminal cells more elongate (35–45 microns); alar cells quadrate or subquadrate, firm-walled, forming a very large but ill-defined group extending nearly to the costa and upwards on the margin for c. 150–225 microns (c. 15–20 cells). Costa 30 microns wide at base, tapered, weakly spurred above, extending c. ⅔ to apex, without terminal spine. Autoicous. Perichaetia scattered on stem and branches, with leaves erect and apparently ecostate. Perigonia scattered, c. 0.6 mm. Setae stout, 4–5 mm, yellow-brown, weakly flexuose, papillose or smooth; capsule obovoid, weakly inclined, yellow brown, not narrowed at mouth, 1.1 × 0.65 mm. Spores 20–24 microns.