Bucklandiella obesa (Frisvoll) Bednarek-Ochyra & Ochyra
Synonym: Racomitrium obesum Frisvoll
Special status: NONE
Recognition:
Perhaps the greatest difficulty will be separating B. obesa from B. occidentalis. Bucklandiella occidentalis has almost as wide a costa as B. obesa near the leaf base. With its wide, relatively flat costa, leaf sections of B. obesa often have indentations near the base of the leaf that mimic the grooves of B. occidentalis. However, B. obesa lacks grooves in the distal half of the leaf while they can be found regularly in B. occidentalis. The costa in the distal half of the leaf tends to be wider in B. obesa than in B. occidentalis, but thinner. Costa at midleaf is often 3-stratose in B. occidentalis and usually only 2-stratose in B. obesa.
The leaf margin is more tightly recurved (revolute) in B. occidentalis but the recurvature does not extend to the tip of the leaf. In B. obesa the leaf margin is less strongly recurved but it extends up to the base of the hair point.
Distribution: Very few records in Oregon; apparently found at higher elevations in the mountains, sometimes on calcareous rocks (unlike most of the rest of the genus). This species is endemic to the Pacific Northwest, from British Columbia to California.
Comments: Before identifying a specimen as B. obesa it is necessary to rule out B. occidentalis as the latter is much more common and more likely to be encountered.
Oregon Caves, Josephine County, Oregon. T.C. Frye s.n. (WTU).
Oregon Caves, Josephine County, Oregon. T.C. Frye s.n. (WTU).
Oregon Caves, Josephine County, Oregon. T.C. Frye s.n. (WTU).
Oregon Caves, Josephine County, Oregon. T.C. Frye s.n. (WTU).
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Oregon Caves, Josephine County, Oregon. T.C. Frye s.n. (WTU).
Oregon Caves, Josephine County, Oregon. T.C. Frye s.n. (WTU).
Guide to Racomitrioideae of Oregon
Created 2007 Northwest Botanical Institute