Paul L. Redfearn Jr.

Plants small, in mats, pale green, dark green, or brownish. Stems freely branched to subpinnate; paraphyllia few, linear-lanceolate, cells smooth; sparsely radiculose. Stem and branch leaves similar or differentiated. Stem leaves erect or somewhat recurved when dry, erect-spreading when moist, oblong-ovate or ovate-lanceolate, plicate on one side, 2-plicate, or plane; margins plane or ± recurved proximally, entire to subserrulate distally, ; apex acute, acuminate, or obtuse, hair-point absent; costa single, subpercurrent or ending before apex, , often flexuose-curved distally; alar cells weakly differentiated, subquadrate; medial and distal laminal cells irregularly quadrate-hexagonal, ± 1-papillose on abaxial or both surfaces, walls thick; . Specialized asexual reproduction absent. Sexual condition autoicous; perichaetial leaves pale brown, erect, elongate, apex acuminate. Seta0.4-1.2 cm. Capsule erect, cylindric to oblong-cylindric, symmetric to distinctly curved; annulus narrow or absent; operculum conic; peristome reduced; exostome teeth linear-lanceolate, usually cross striolate near base, sometimes densely papillose throughout; endostome basal membrane low, segments long-linear, cilia absent or rudimentary. Spores 9-18 µm, smooth to very finely papillose.

Species 24 (4 in the flora): North America, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa.

Leskea occurs in terrestrial habitats in temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions. The leaves are somewhat asymmetric with proximal laminal cells somewhat longer than the more distal cells, which are obscure; the exostome teeth are incurved when dry; and the endostome is erect, pale, and papillose.

Excluded Species:

Leskea angustata Taylor
Leskea angustata was cited for the flora area by L. E. Anderson et al. (1990). However, no voucher specimens or other literature citations of L. angustata for the area have been seen; it is consequently excluded from this treatment.

Lower Taxa

• Leskea australis Sharp
• Leskea gracilescens Hedwig
• Leskea obscura Hedwig
• Leskea polycarpa Hedwig