Philonotis fontana

Philonotis fontana (Hedw.) Brid., Bryologia Universa 2: 18. 1827.
Basionym: Mnium fontanum Hedw., Species Muscorum Frondosorum 195. 1801.
Lectotype: herb. Hedwig, G
Synonyms: P. crassicollis Burchard, Botanisches Centralblatt 37: 105. 1889; type: Im oberen Langvand-Thale am Svartisen. (isotype 'Sandbänke des Gletscherbaches vam Svartisen oberhalb d. See "Lang-Vand", 66 1/2° n.Br. "Helgeland", 8/1888 leg A. Burchard' BP! )

Description:
Plants of variable size. Stems (0,5)0,6-0,9(1,2) mm wide; densely to sparsely foliated, sometimes producing deciduous branches. Leaves straight to secund, up to 2 mm long, flat to plicate, from broad base lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, abruptly narrowed; margin plane to broadly recurved, with double teeth almost to the apex. Costa usually not coloured, narrow, up to 10(15)% of leaf width, sometimes widened in leaf base. Lower leaf cells 25-50 × 9-16 um, narrower towards apex.

Dioicous, perichaetia discoid. Perichaetial leaves triangular, obtuse in typical plants, acute to acutish in gracile forms, with diffused or well delimited costa. Seta straight. Capsules inclined, furrowed when dry. Peristome double, exostome with interlamellary thickenings. Spores 20-28 um.

Ecology:
In springs, wet ditches, mires, wet meadows, along streams, on dripping rocks, within gravel on wet trails. On wide range of pH from lowlands to alpine regions. Mixed stands with each P. seriata, P. caespitosa, P. calcarea and P. tomentella observed.

Distribution:
Europe; Asia: SW, the Himalayas, Siberia, China, Japan; North a tropical Africa, Makaronesia; North, Middle and south of South America, Greenland.

Variation:
In size, type of foliage, width of costa. It is the most variable species in Europe.

Possible confusions:
P. caespitosa (gracile "softer" appearance, regularly secund leaves with flat lamina; at the beginning of growing season leaves can be more or less straight with broad base, in this case leaves from previous season serves better for determination);
P. tomentella (narrower flat gradually narrowed leaves with margin recurved to the apex, narrower less variable cells);
P. calcarea, P. seriata (see note under those species).

Exssicates:
Rabenhorst-Bryotheca europaea No. 131 [DUKE];
Husnot-Musci Galliae No. 238 in mixture with P. calcarea, No 238a, No. 239, No. 959 as P. adpressa, No. 519, No. 530 [all DUKE];
Fleischer et Warnstorf-Bryotheca Europ. meridion. Cent. II, 1897 no. 167 [Z]
Brotherus-Bryotheca Fennica No. 56b sub P. tomentella, No. 57 as P. tomentella fo. gemmiclada, plants intermediate to P. fontana and P. tomentella; No. 58, No. 165 [all DUKE];
Bauer-Musci Europaei Exsiccati No. 465 as P. tomentella; No. 1145 as P. tomentella [all BP];
Bauer-Musci Europ. et Amer. Exsiccati No. 1869 is intermediate to P. fontana and P. tomentella [all BP];
Bryotheca Silesiaca no. 173 as P. calcarea [BP, PRC];
Musci Macroregioni merid. Poloniae exs. fasc. III. No. 110 as P. caespitosa [BP].

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