Plagiothecium latebricola

HABIT: Small, perennial, delicate, somewhat flattened, moderately shiny plant with stems to 2 cm. long, asexual brood bodies commonly present on the back of leaf tips; sporophytes 0.6-1.0 cm. long, capsules erect, straight, smooth.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Superficially similar to small Isopterygium and differing from species in this genus on the basis of microscopic characters.

TOTAL RANGE: Very rare (or rarely collected), this species has been reported from Nfld., N.B., N.S., s.e. Ont., s.w. Que., B.C., CT, Mass., NY, NJ, MI, WI, and OH; also British Isles, Europe, Japan.

STATE RANGE: A pre-1960 collection has been reported from Jackson County (Geisey, 1957). There are post-1960 specimens from Champaign and Hocking counties.

STATE STATUS: 1990-1991: Added, 1992 to present: Endangered.

HABITAT: Northern hardwood lowland swamps and other marshy habitats where it occurs on rotten logs, stumps, and humus, and on the bases and in wet knotholes of trees.

HAZARDS: Drying of habitat, removal of shade.

RECOVERY POTENTIAL: Unknown.

INVENTORY GUIDELINES: Collect only minute samples.

COMMENTS: This little-known species may easily be overlooked. It should be searched for in hardwood swamp and fen habitats in the northern portion of the state.

SELECTED REFERENCES:

Crum, H.A. and L.E. Anderson. 1981. Mosses of Eastern North America. Two vols. Columbia University Press.

Ireland, R.R. 1969. A taxonomic revision of the genus Plagiothecium for North America, north of Mexico. Natl. Mus. Canad. Publ. Bot. 1: 1-118.

Ireland, R.R. 1984. The Genus Plagiothecium in North America. Evansia 1: 4-9.

Division of Natural Areas and Preserves

Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Created: 3/1990 Jerry A. Snider

Database Code: SPPC.423