Brotherella recurvans
“satin moss”
Brotherella recurvans at Tucker County, WV. June 3, 2014.
Brotherella recurvans at Tucker County, WV. June 3, 2014.
Leaf of Brotherella recurvans from Tucker County, WV. June 3, 2014.
Inflated alar cells of Brotherella recurvans from Tucker County, WV. June 3, 2014.
How to recognize Brotherella recurvans: This is a shiny braided complanate (flattened) moss growing in mats on the forest floor. The leaves are ovate with a sharply toothed tip that is curved to one side of the stem or branch. Under a microscope the leaves have swollen thin-walled alar cells at the outer corners of the leaf base, with one or two rows of smaller oblong cells above those along the leaf margin; the costa is short and double which cannot usually be seen with a hand lens. The leaf tip is toothed.
Where to find Brotherella recurvans: This moss inhabits the low places in the forest on soil, logs, tree bases and rocks in the eastern part of North America. It is often found in hemlock forests.
