#rhodobryum ontariense var. minor

[cedar-glade]

ohhh yeah small Rhodobryum time also special guest in this photo is a cool little liverwort that grows on sandstone called  Bazzania trilobata,

Im pretty sure this might be the dwarf Ontario rose moss 

Rhodobryum ontariense var. minor 

Coastal forest associations to extremely old earth, some sections of the ILP and some sections of Appalachia (all old geologically) still have some R. roseum left in refugium since initial continental breakups. R. roseum, while rare in the states is fairly common in Europe. The vast majority of Rhodobryum spp. in the USA happen to be R. ontariense. While this is true, variants make this species still a diverse moss species morphological. Above is var. minor. 

While this: 

Versailles SP

Clifton Gorge SNP

Adam’s Co. 

Clifty Falls,SP

Is a normal R. ontariense. pay attention to that mid vein because it’s critical.

not the leaf curl, to identifying a species! While amount of reflex and microphyll angle toward tip taper is considered a viable identifier that midvein is a critical morphological character. 

Taken from Illinois flora post’s comments and foot notes: 

Crum & Anderson (1981), the outer leaf margins of Rhodobryum ontariense form a more obtuse angle than those of Rhodobryum roseum (90-120° vs. 65-100°), the lower and middle margins of its leaves are more recurved (rolled downward), and the midribs of its leaves always extend to the leaf tips, rather than falling slightly short of them. In addition, the mature pseudo-rosettes of Rhodobryum ontariense have 18-52 leaves, while those of Rhodobryum roseum have 16-21 leaves.