Wideleaf Stegonia Moss (Stegonia latifolia)
Description
This tiny moss forms small, loose clusters (or rarely short, open tufts) of pale whitish-green, bud-like plants, about 2 mm tall. The very strongly concave leaves are 1-1.25 mm long, closely appress and overlap each other when moist, and alter little when dry. From a narrow base they become broadly egg-shaped, with plane margins that are somewhat notched below the tip. The weak, single nerve usually ends some distance below the leaf tip, which is shortly pointed or rounded, although rarely the nerve may be longly excurrent and colourless. The narrowly elliptically shaped capsules, which are commonly produced, and mature to a brownish colour in summer, are erect and borne on a seta about 5 mm tall. The peristome is welldeveloped, with the teeth cleft at the tip.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum: Bryophyta
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Class: Bryopsida
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Order: Pottiales
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Family: Pottiaceae
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Genus: Stegonia
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