Species description:
Species name describing the strongly recurved margins of the leaves.

Reproduction:
Sporophytes occasional to rare; the plants fragment readily when dry and the fragments probably serve in propagation. Sporophytes are red-brown when ripe; sporangia are inclined to sub­erect, cylindric and curved.

Distinguishing characteristics:
The strongly revolute leaf margins and the seeming absence of midribs, combined with the dry substratum and the frequent regular branching of the golden brownish-green plants are useful features.

Habit:
Golden green to brownish-green, creeping, often regularly branched mats usually loosely attached to substratum.

Similar Species:
H. cupressiforme and H. vaucheri grow in similar habi­tats and are often the same colour as H. revotutum. They, however, lack regular branching and also lack revolute leaf margins. Microscopically, they have a triangular area of small alar cells that separate them readily from H. revotutum. Drepanoc!adus uncinatus, of similar habitats, has pleated leaves with a midrib; the leaves are very strongly curved. H. recurvatum is much more slender and is usually firmly affixed to its rock substratum.

If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.

Illustration Source:  Some Common Mosses of BC