TORTULACEAE 47 



TORTULA Hedw. 



Plants robust, with large oblong or subspatulate leaves which 

 are rounded at apex and usually have the costa long-excur- 

 rent, not crispate when dry, but somewhat twisted and con- 

 torted, mostly entire; upper leaf cells opaque and papillose 

 (except T. miicronifolia) , basal rectangular and hyaline or 

 colored. Peristome teeth thirty-two, from a high basal mem- 

 brane (except T. muralis), papillose and twisted to the left. 



T. papulosa grows on tree trunks, the rest of our species on 

 soil and stones. Distinguished from our species of Desmatodon 

 by the high basal membrane and thirty-two spirally twisted 

 teeth. 



Key 

 I — Growing on trunks of trees; leaves very concave, with costa very 



short-excurrent and bearing propagula; never fruiting papulosa 



Growing on soil and stones 2 



2 — Leaves with a short hair point, bordered with 2-4 rows of yellowish 



linear cells in two layers marginata 



Leaves with a long hair point, not bordered 3 



3 — Hair point rough; basal membrane nearly equaling the teeth in 



length montana 



Hair point smooth or nearly so; basal membrane narrow muralis 



T. marginata (B. & S.) Spruce. Palisades, N. J., Austin, Bx! 



T. montana (Nees) Lindb. "Sunny rocks, usually calcareous, 

 in mountainous or hilly regions," East Haven and Orange, Bry. 

 Ct. "Foot of Palisades and Zinc Mines, Sussex Co., N. J.," 

 Muse. App. 132. (As T. nivalis var. rupestris.) 



T. muralis (L.) Hedw. "On old walls, Palisades and central 

 N. J.," Muse. App. 130. Very common on mortared walls 

 beside trolley line, Dongan Hills to New Dorp, S. Id.!!; Bronx 

 Park, E. G. B., Bx! 



T. papillosa (Muell.) Wils. Greenwood, L. Id., Brainerd 

 (24284); "On trunks of shade trees, central N. J., also on lime- 

 stone rocks about the Zinc Mines," Muse. App. 133; "Trunks 

 of buttonwood trees, Batsto, James," Flora N. J.; Hamden, 

 Ct., Nichols, Bx!; Orange, Bry. Ct. ; red cedars, St. John's 

 Guild gate, S. Id., W. T. Davis, Bx! 



Austin's habitat on rocks is verv unusual. 



