Mosses of Central Florida 32. Trematodon longicollis

Trematodon longicollis Michaux (Bruchiaceae) is a fast-growing moss that
colonizes bare soil, forming small clumps.  Stems are short, upright, and bear a few narrow, elongate leaves.  The massive midrib extends to the tip of the leaf.  Leaf cells in the narrow blade on either side of the midrib are irregularly squarish.

Trematodon longicollis appears on bare soil.  This colony appeared in a flower bed that had been turned over just a few weeks earlier.  Note the thick, tapering neck below the more swollen spore chamber.

The most distinctive feature of this moss is the thick, tapering neck below the spore chamber of the capsule.  The neck in this species occupies about 2/3 the length of the capsules, which are curved slightly to the side atop long stalks.

On either side of the massive midrib, one can see the irregular
cells of the blade, that range from squarish to triangular.

Trematodon longicollis occurs in the eastern U.S. as far west as Texas and
Oklahoma, and to Pennsylvania in the north.  In Florida, it has been collected spottily throughout the state.