Status: Native
Synonyms:
Pohlia cruda (Hedw.) Lindb. var. oregonensis (Par.) Wijk & Margad.
One of the characteristics of Pohlia cruda that is most often mentioned in keys and discussions of the genus is that P. cruda has an "opalescent sheen" when dry. It is very shiny in other words. It also does not wet easily, much like leaves of plants in the genus Mnium. The fragile leaves of P. cruda are usually seen with air bubbles associated with them in wet mounts because they do not wet easily. These photos are taken of Pohlia cruda collected from El Malpais National Monument on permit. These plants seem to most conspicuously display the opalescent sheen, which is actually more striking under the microscope than in the photos.
The leaves of P. cruda are usually serrate near the apex. The cells of the lamina are linear-- long and thin. However, the length and shape of the leaf itself is quite variable-- short and broader at the base of the stems and much longer and thinner toward the stem apex.
Please click on an image for a larger file.
Pohlia cruda, photomicrograph of opalescent sheen (dry plant), photo Russ Kleinman, Kelly Allred, John Brinda, Kirsten Romig & Karen Blisard, El Malpais National Monument, July 21, 2016
Pohlia cruda, dark field photomicrograph of leaf, photo Russ Kleinman, Kelly Allred, John Brinda, Kirsten Romig & Karen Blisard, El Malpais National Monument, July 21, 2016
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