Bartramia stricta

   Plants erect in glaucous, green to yellow green wefts, to 3 cm high, densely foliate with leaves erect when moist but rigidly appressed when dry. Leaves to 2.5 mm long, deltoid-lanceolate, widest at base, gradually contracted to the acute apex. Median laminal cells arranged in regular rows, mostly unistratose with bistratose streaks, quadrate to rectangular, 3–6: 1, distally and proximally prorate on both surfaces, moderately thick walled but without pitting, to 8 µm wide. Median cells of leaf base mostly unistratose, regularly rectangular, 4–10: 1, smooth and hyaline, moderately thick walled but without pitting, to 9 µm wide. Cells of alar angles mostly undifferentiated, sometimes shorter and red-brown. Margins plane or minutely recurved near base, bistratose at least in distal 1/2, entire near base but regularly serrate above, not decurrent. Costa evenly wide from base to near apex, filling about 1/4–1/6 of leaf base, short excurrent, portion. Costa cross-section elliptical, about 2: 1, with a strong dorsal stereid band, an inconspicuous ventral stereid band and 1–2 layers of guide cells. Axillary hairs to 150 µm, many cells long with the individual cells brown and alike, inserted at immediate leaf insertion. Rhizoids restricted to macronematal area, to 15 µm in basal diameter, sometimes forming a dense tomentum on old stems, papillose and red-brown, repeatedly but mostly irregularly branched. Macronemata to 80 µm long, mostly orbicular. Stem cross-section rounded pentagonal, without a hyaloderm, with only 1–2 layers of red-brown and pachydermous outer cortical cells surrounding a large group of hyaline and leptodermous inner corticals and a strongly developed central strand.

   Synoicous with perichaetial bracts erect, not differentiated from adjacent vegetative leaves. Seta yellow-brown to red-brown, smooth, erect, to 10 mm long. Urn to 2.5 mm long, nearly spherical, inclined and somewhat sulcate or deeply wrinkled, not at all strumose. Operculum short conic. Annulus absent. Exothecial cells at capsule mouth differentiated in up to 4 rows, to 20 µm broad, quadrate to transversely elongate, 0.5–1: 1. Exothecial cells at middle of urn hexagonal, mostly isodiametric, to 45 µm broad, regular arranged and rather uniform in size and shape. Stomata phaneroporous, restricted to neck of urn. Exostome inconspicuous, inserted far below mouth of capsule and hardly protruding from mouth, to 200 µm, smooth and consisting of only a few fragile articulations. Endostome absent. Calyptra cucullate, mostly shed before capsule maturity. Spores reniform to elliptic, to 30 µm, coarsely papillose.

Vouchers: Humboldt Co.: Trinity River about 2 miles east of Salyer, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Norris 67267; Lake Co.: north end of Bachelor Valley near Hell's Peak, Toren & Dearing 6862 (CAS) [confirmed by Griffin III]; Nevada Co.: Slack's Ravine, Highway 20 about 7 miles west of Rough and Ready, Norris 67461; Riverside Co.: Santa Margarita River between Temecula and Fallbrook, SDSU Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, Shevock & Jessup 20534; San Francisco Co.: Glen Canyon, Shevock 19185; San Luis Obispo Co.: Santa Rosa Creek about 0.5 mile east of Cambria, Norris 68215; Shasta Co.: Sacramento River Trail northeast of Redding, Norris 105288; Tehama Co.: Highway 36 about 2 miles southwest of Dales, Norris 55994.

Literature: Brandegee 1891; Harthill et al. 1979; Howe 1897; Kellman 2003; Koch 1950a; Koch and Ikenberry 1954; Lawton 1971; Lesquereux 1868; Long 1978; McCleary 1972; Sayre 1940; Shevock and Toren 2001; Showers 1982; Toren 1977; Watson 1880; Whittemore and Sommers 1999; Yurky 1990, 1995.

Illustration References: Malcolm et al. 2009 p. 197; Lawton 1971. See also Hermann 1980.

Elevation by latitude plot for Bartramia stricta
   in California