Dicranoweisia Moss

Plants small to medium-sized, 0.5–2.0(–4.0) cm high, dull olive-green or yellowish green, in dense tufts. Stems erect, simple or forked, radiculose at the base. Leaves crispate, incurved when dry, erect-patent to spreading when moist, 1.5–2.5 mm × 0.3–0.4 mm, lower leaves shortly lanceolate, upper leaves narrowly linear-lanceolate, gradually tapered to an acuminate apex; margins entire, recurved above the middle, bistratose; costa thick, percurrent; upper cells quadrate to rounded quadrate, thick-walled, smooth; basal cells elongate, rectangular, thin-walled; alar cells slightly differentiated, shortly rectangular, not forming auricles. Autoicous. Gemmae often present, sometimes abundant on the dorsal surfaces of leaves near base. Outer perichaetial leaves similar to the upper stem leaves, sometimes with a longer sheathing base; inner perichaetial leaves with a shorter sheathing base, an elongate, subulate, and pointed apex. Setae straight, yellowish, 6–10 mm long, twisted when dry; capsules narrowly ellipsoid to subcylindric, symmetric, brownish, smooth when dry, contracted at mouth; opercula obliquely long-rostrate; annuli in 1 row of yellowish cells; peristome teeth papillose above, striate below. Spores 12–18 µm in diameter.

Leaves crisped and incurved when dry, margins plane to narrowly incurved or recurved at middle, 1-stratose except on margins in distal half, cells smooth; alar cells undifferentiated. Specialized asexual reproduction frequent, multicellular gemmae frequent on abaxial surface of leaves. Capsule with annulus of 1-3 rows of somewhat separating cells; peristome smooth basally, papillose distally.

Distribution: China, Mongolia, Caucasus, Europe, North America, North Africa, and Australia.

Habitat: on dry tree stumps or bases, or soil and rocks, common at low altitudes.

Weissia cirrata Hedwig, Sp. Musc. Frond., 69. 1801