Short Beaked Aloe Moss

The leaves of Aloina brevirostris are usually short, and cucullate with a reduced lamina; forms with larger laminae may be confused with A. rigida, but the synoicous condition and the cylindric capsules with a conical operculum are diagnostic. The latter species is dioicous, and has ovoid-cylindrical capsules with a long-rostrate operculum.

Plants 0.5-2 mm. Leaves lingulate to suborbicular, 0.5-1.5 mm, margins entire, undulate-dentic-ulate distally, differentiated at base, apex cucullate to nearly open; costa subpercurrent, fila-ments of 2-5 cells, cells subspheric to cylindric; cells of leaf base 13-66 µm, medial and distal cells 13-40 µm, papillae none. Sexual condition synoicous or dioicous. Seta 6-17 mm. Capsule urn cylindric, 1-2 mm; operculum conic, short-rostrate, erect or inclined, 0.5-1 mm; peristome 250-900 µm, twisted. Spores 15-25 µm.

Plants tiny, 1.0–2.0 mm high, brownish, in scattered tufts. Stems simple, very short. Leaves appressed, rosette when dry, spreading when moist, usually 1.0 mm long, rarely up to 1.5 mm long, suborbicular to shortly broad-lingulate, concave, rounded at apex; margins entire; costa thick and broad, ending at or below apex; costa very broad, ending at or below apex, green filaments branched, 4–7 cells high, filament cells thin-walled, cylindric to spherical; upper leaf cells mostly transversely short-rectangular to rounded quadrate, ca. 10–15 µm wide, moderately thick-walled; basal cells rectangular to quadrate, thin-walled. Synoicous or dioicous. Perichaetial leaves not clearly differentiated. Setae reddish brown, twisted when dry, 5–10 mm long; capsules suberect to slightly arched, dark brown, cylindrical, 1.5–2.0 mm long; annuli well developed, revoluble, in 1–3 rows of large cells; peristome teeth filiform, reddish brown, strongly twisted counterclockwise; basal membrane low; opercula conical to subulate, shortly rostrate. Spores yellowish green, 13–15 µm in diameter, nearly smooth.

Distribution: China, Russia, Europe, and North America.

Habitat: on calcareous soil.

Tortula brevirostris Hooker & Greville, Edinburgh J. Sci. 1: 289, plate 12. 1824

Tortula brevirostris Hook. & Grev., Edinburgh J. Sci. 38: 289. 12. 1824.