Monday, November 21, 2011

Specimen 3

Name: Thuidium delicatulum
Common name: 
Family: Thuidiaceae
Collection Date: September 13,2011
Habitat: Coarse woody debris in advanced stages of rotting in shade
Location:South Chagrin Reservation
Description: A mat of moss growing on the ground around damp decaying wood.
Collector: Ken Belter
Key Used: Conard, H.S. and P.L. Redfearn, Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Mass

Keying Steps: Some of the key steps here have been abbreviated or only highlight certain aspects of the description. Some of the shorter ones like plants not as above will appear as in the book.

Start of Key page 19
1a. Plants with Stems and Leaves; leaves equally spaced around the stem or, if in two opposite rows, leaf cells elongate or isodiametric and rhizoids multi cellular...2
2b. Plants not as above...3
3b. plants not as above...pg.28
Page 28
1b...Green,brown,or blackish plants;...3
3b.leaves inserted in three or more rows...7
7b.plants with  a peristome of more than 4 teeth or peristome absent...8
8b.Leaves well developed an persistent...9
9b.Capsule and leaves not as above...10
10b.Plants with or without distinct stem...17
17b.Plants minute to large;...20
20b.Leaves without such outgrowths...28
28b. Plants not having the above combination of characters;...33
33b.Semi creeping or ascending...in interwoven mats...139
139a.Leaves papillose, at least on the dorsal(lower) side...140
140b.Papillae located over the cell-cavity...150
150bPlants not conspicuously fern-like...152
152b.Leaves not as above...153
153b.Leaves with a single costa...159
159b.Plants not complanate...160
160b. Costa and leaf cells not as above...161
161b. Papillae not forming a single row over the center of the cells...163
163b. Papillae smaller, often several on one cell...164
164b.Paraphyllia numerous, filamentous, mostly branched...172
172bParaphyllia not attached to leaves...173
173a. Apical cell of branch leaves crowned with 2-4 pappilae...Thuidium pg 174
Page 174
1b. Plants large to robust...4
4b. Stems 2-3 pinnate, spreading or curved-ascending...5
5b.Stem leaves erect, papillae on paraphyllia near middle of cells...6
6a. Stem leaves, not ending in a capillary point...7
7a. Stems regularly bi- or tripinnately branched...Thuidium delicatulum

From Conrard and Redfearn "Plants robust green or yellow-green mats, stem 3-8cm long, spreading or arched-ascending, on soil, humus, decaying wood, rocks, or tree bases, in moist areas, Alaska to Labrador south to Arizona, in the east south to the Gulf States"(1979)
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