Fissidens Moss

Subspecies 2 (1 in the flora): e North America; Asia (China, Japan).

Fissidens closteri Aust. Bull. Torrey Club
5:21. 1874.
Plants minute and almost stemless; leaves 2-3 pairs, the lower ovate with little or no dorsal lamina, the upper lanceolate from an ovate base, 0.4-0.6 mm. long, the border lacking, the margin entire or wavy above, the costa strong, ending well below the apex; vaginant laminae about half the length of the leaf; dorsal lamina narrow, not reaching the base, 3-5 cells wide; apical lamina about 3 cells wide; median cells irregularly short-rectangular, 7 X 8-18 /i, smaller at the margin; cells at lower part of vaginant laminae 10-12 X 16-32 /x I monoicous or pseudodioicous ; cf buds attached to the 9 plants by rhizoids or separated; antheridium single; sporophyte terminal; seta relatively stout, reaching 2 mm.; capsule oblong-ovoid, erect and symmetric, the urn about 0.4 mm. long, the exothecial cells strongly collenchymatous; caljrptra covering the beak only; operculum conic-rostrate; divisions of peristome-teeth rough, spirally thickened; spores 8-12 ^ in diameter.
Type IvOCality: Along Anderson's and Nagle's brooks on rocks. Palisades, Closter, New Jersey {A ustin) .
DisTRiBtJTiON : In brown patches in crevices of decomposing rocks; Closter, New Jersey; Tiverton, Rhode Island {Mrs. Handy); Indiana; Puerto Rico {Steer e 5502, 6354).
Ili^ustration : Sull. Ic. Muse. Suppl. pi. 29.