TORTELLA INCLINATA
(R. Hedw.) Limpr.
Curved Tortella
FAMILY: Pottiaceae
HABIT: Plants densely tufted, yellowish or brown, to 1 cm;
sporulating early spring.
SIMILAR SPECIES: Similar to other species of the genus Tortella;
distinguished by a combination of moderately contorted leaves (when dry) with
short, cucullate tips and an upcurved apex of the capsule.
TOTAL RANGE: Circumboreal; in N. A. s. to Vermont, Ontario,
Michigan and the Yukon.
STATE RANGE: Known from a single collection on Marblehead
Peninsula in Ottawa County.
STATE STATUS: 1994 to present: Endangered.
HABITAT: Exposed calcareous habitats; alvars and sandy
openings.
HAZARDS: Overgrowth by taller woody or herbaceous
vegetation.
RECOVERY POTENTIAL: Unknown.
INVENTORY GUIDELINES: Collect complete, mature specimens; do
not press since the contorted leaves are most evident in air-dried specimens.
COMMENTS: This diminutive species is easily overlooked.
However, the habitat for curved tortella in Ohio is exceedingly limited. This
moss is another element of the rare alvar flora of Marblehead Peninsula where
it is associated with Great Lakes endemics such as Lakeside daisy (Hymenoxys
herbacea) and Garber's sedge (Carex garberi). This species is
unlikely to occur anywhere else in Ohio. An excellent line drawing is on page
309 in Crum and Anderson (1981).
SELECTED REFERENCES:
Crum, H. A. and L. E. Anderson. 1981. Mosses of eastern
North America, Vol. I. Columbia Univ. Press, New York. 663 p.
Ohio Department of Natural Resources
Division of Natural Areas and Preserves
Created: 12/1993 Allison W. Cusick
Database Code: SPPF.427