6. Pseudobryum (Kindberg) T. J. Koponen, Ann. Bot. Fenn. 5: 147. 1968. • [Greek pseudes, false, and genus Bryum, alluding to similarity].
Steven G. Newmaster
Mnium subg. Pseudobryum Kindberg, Eur. N. Amer. Bryin. 2: 338. 1898 (as Pseudo-Bryum) Terry T. McIntosh
Plants 3-10(-15) cm, in loose mats. Stems brown, erect, simple or sometimes branched distally, not dendroid; rhizoids brown, macronemata mainly proximal, scattered distally, micronemata present. Leaves green or yellow-green, dark brown when old, crisped and weakly contorted when dry, erect or erect-spreading, often weakly undulate when moist, broadly ovate, elliptic, or sometimes orbicular, (3-)4-6(-7) mm; base not or short-decurrent; margins plane, green or yellow-green, 1-stratose, entire or lightly toothed to below mid leaf, teeth single, blunt or sometimes rounded; apex rounded, obtuse, or rarely retuse, apiculate; costa subpercurrent, ending well before apex, or rarely percurrent, distal abaxial surface smooth; medial laminal cells elongate, often ± rhomboidal, usually 3+:1, (30-)40-80(-110) µm, in diagonal rows, not collenchymatous, walls pitted; marginal cells indistinctly differentiated from medial cells, short-linear or rhomboidal, in 1-2(-3) rows. Specialized asexual reproduction absent. Sexual condition dioicous. Seta single or rarely double, orange-yellow, 2-5.5 cm, flexuose. Capsule pendent, yellowish brown, ovate, 2-2.5 mm; operculum conic-apiculate; exostome dark brown; endostome yellowish brown. Spores 31-40 µm.
Species 2 (1 in the flora): North America, Eurasia; circumtemperate to circumboreal.
Pseudobryum consists of two species of which one ( P. cinclidioides; n= 6) is in the flora area and the other [P. speciosum (Mitten) T. J. Koponen; n= 7] is Asiatic. The latter is differentiated also by leaf characters and polysety.
