Stems c. 5 cm long (rarely to 15 cm), simple to richly branched (especially towards the tips). Leaves imbricate, erecto-patent to spreading, rarely squarrose when dry, narrowly lanceolate to lanceolate, gradually tapering to an acuminate apex, sometimes plicate at base, (1.9–) 2.3–3.9 mm long, 0.3–0.7 mm wide; margin plane throughout, occasionally slightly recurved below, serrate (rarely serrulate) above; costa long-excurrent; mid-leaf laminal cells regular, rectangular to linear, 42–90 × 3–5 µm, porose, thick-walled (wall 4–6 µm); alar cells apparently absent or in c. 3 or 4 rows of up to 5 cells, subquadrate to short-rectangular, to 30 × 10 µm.

Setae c. 15 mm long. Capsules erect to inclined or horizontal, ovoid to cylindrical, sulcate when dry. Spores 44–60 µm diameter.

Most herbarium specimens of B. pseudophilonotis have been incorrectly labelled as B. pendula. However, the former is clearly distinct, having lanceolate leaves that are plicate only at the base (if at all), alar cells absent or subquadrate and not inflated, mid-leaf laminal cells that are commonly elongate, porose, thick-walled and regular, serrate upper leaf margins and distinctly larger spores.

Native.

An endemic species in New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania.

Grows on damp to very moist rock and soil.

Bartramia pseudophilonotis Müll.Hal., Genera Musc. Frond. 342 (1901); Philonotis pseudophilonotis (Müll.Hal.) Watts & Whitel., Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 30 (Suppl.): 156 (1906). Breutelia pseudophilonotis (Müll.Hal.) Watts & Whitel., Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 30 (Suppl.): 161 (1906).
Type: Balls Head Bay, N.S.W., Aug.–Oct. 1884, T.Whitelegge; iso: NSW.

Uncertain synonyms

?Bartramia atrata Müll.Hal., Genera Musc. Frond. 342 (1901), nom. nud.; Breutelia atrata Watts & Whitel., Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 30 (Suppl.): 158 (1906).
Type: N.S.W. n.v. ?type in Manchester Museum herbarium, fide G.C.S.Clark, Manchester Mus. Publ. 2.73: 1–20 (1973).

N.S.W.: near Mt Imlay trig., M.D.Crisp 3489 (CANB); Braeside Walk, Blue Mountains Natl Park, F.E.Davies 325 (CANB).

A.C.T.: Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, H.Streimann 2114 (CANB).

Vic.: Kalymna Falls, Grampians Natl Park, H.Streimann 55219 (CANB).

Tas.: near Devils Gate Dam, Kentish Municipality, D.H.Norris 27200 (CANB).

S.R.Gilmore (2012), Australian Mosses Online 42. Bartramiaceae. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Version 9 June 2012. http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/Mosses_online/42_Bartramiaceae.html

First published as: S.R.Gilmore (2006), Bartramiaceae, Flora of Australia Volume 51: 248–270. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra & CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne.