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7b. Niphotrichum sect. Elongata (Bednarek-Ochyra) Bednarek-Ochyra & Ochyra in R. Ochyra et al., Cens. Cat. Polish Mosses. 138. 2003.

Racomitrium sect. Elongata Bednarek-Ochyra, Fragm. Florist. Geobot., Ser. Polon. 2: 94. 1995

Plants small, medium-sized to robust, green, olive or grayish green distally, brown. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, lanceolate to triangular, sharply keeled to narrowly canaliculate in the distal part; costa in most leaves unbranched or only occasionally forked in some leaves, extending to three quarters of the leaf length to percurrent; leaf cell papillae tending to be relatively small and inconspicuous in the distal lamina.

Species 6 (4 in the flora): North America; Europe; temperate Asia, Atlantic Islands.

Section Elongata is fairly homogeneous. Its members are readily recognized by their leaves, which are sharply keeled to narrowly canaliculate or canaliculate-keeled in the distal part, and their costae, which cease mostly at three quarters of the leaf length or are subpercurrent to percurrent and are generally undivided at the tip.

1 Leaf margins recurved to 1/2-3/4 of the way up the leaf.   3 Niphotrichum muticum
+ Leaf margins recurved to the apex   (2)
2 (1) Plants small; leaves 1.5-1.8 mm long; costa not grooved; laminal cells opaque, coarsely papillose, yellowish; alar cells forming a small and weakly inflated group; awns absent papillae or only faintly papillose at the base   4 Niphotrichum pygmaeum
+ Plants medium-sized to large; leaves 2-3 mm long; costa lying in a shallow or deeper furrow; laminal cells coarsely to slightly papillose, mostly transparent, not yellowish (except the base); alar cells forming a conspicuous and distinctly inflated group; awns mostly coarsely papillose   (3)
3 (2) Supra-alar cells elongate, thin-walled and not sinuose, forming a transparent marginal border; awns erect-flexuose when dry, not or indistinctly decurrent, faintly papillose to epapillose in the distal part   5 Niphotrichum ericoides
+ Supra-alar cells short, thick- and sinuose-walled, not forming a translucent border; awns recurved when dry, conspicuously decurrent, coarsely papillose throughout.   6 Niphotrichum elongatum

Lower Taxa

