Goniautoicous. Stems with an undifferentiated central strand; axillary hairs sparse. Leaves oblong to narrowly obovate, 2.2–3.1 (–4.0) mm long, 0.9–1.2 mm wide; apex broad, ±rounded, muticous; margins plane; abaxial surface of costa prominently keeled even near apex, sparsely prorulose, glossy, yellow to brown. Distal medial laminal cells 11–18 (–21) × (9–) 13–18 (–21) μm wide, with 3–7 papillae; basal cells 22–80 × 9–18 μm [L:W 2.5–4.5:1], as a group extending higher marginally or medially or not; transverse walls pale orange; longitudinal walls hyaline; surface walls smooth; basal marginal cells in a band 4–6 cells wide. Specialised asexual reproduction absent.

Perichaetia terminal. Perigonia lateral. Calyptra 3–6 mm long, extending well below capsule, glossy, golden, faintly translucent, smooth to ±papillose, basally ±erose; beak 0.9–1.8 mm long, narrow. Seta 2–11 mm long, untwisted or with 1 or 2 dextrorse twists at the capsule base, dull to ±glossy, red below, orange to yellow near the capsule. Capsules 1–4 mm long, golden with a narrow bright red rim; theca occasionally slightly narrowed at the mouth, delicately puckered, sometimes delicately longitudinally striate; neck indistinct; annulus undifferentiated; operculum concave-plane and rostrate. Peristome usually absent, or with teeth poorly developed, evanescent, white. Spores 35–40 μm diameter, brown, heteropolar; proximal face ±smooth centrally or with low gemmae, ±radially plicate; distal face with large hollow gemmae 5–6 μm diameter.

The most obvious, immediately recognisable, diagnostic character is the persistent, mitrate, elongate-cylindrical and rostrate calyptra. All Australian specimens seen by me have sporophytes, and calyptrae are absent from only two or three. Vegetatively, E. vulgaris is most likely to be confused with members of the Pottiaceae, particularly species of Tortula and Syntrichia. The most obvious feature that differentiates E. vulgaris is the pale orange transverse walls of the basal laminal cells, whereas those of Pottiaceae lack orange colouration.

Native

Occurs on soil and on soil over rock in South Australia, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria and Tasmania; also in North America, Eurasia, Africa and New Zealand.

Encalypta vulgaris Hedw., Sp. Musc. Frond. 60 (1801). Type: “Bryum extinctorium anther erecta oblonga minori, calyptras laxis aequalibus. Linn. Sp. pl. 2. P. 1581. 5. Bryum calyptras extinctorii forma minus Dill. Musc. 349. T. 45. F. 8. Enc. vulgaris Hedw. St. Crypt. p. 46. t. 18.”; lecto: G-Hedw.-Schwägr., fide Horton (1983).

Taxonomic synonyms

Encalypta tasmanica Müll.Hal. & Hampe, Linnaea 26: 491 (1853). Type: “Tasmania, Van Diemansland leg. C.Stuart”; lecto: BM-Hampe (here chosen); syn: “Encalypta vulgaris Hedw. Van Diemensland. (moist places). C.Stuart 1850. Sonder 34/146 1106. E. tasmanica C. Mull. E. australis Mitt.” (MEL); “Encalypta tasmanica nsp. Encalypta vulgaris Hedwig [Hedwig’s name is crossed out] prius VDL 1106 Moist places” (MEL).

Encalypta vulgaris Hedw. var. tasmanica Hampe, Linnaea 26: 491 (1853), nom. inval. in synon. [= E. tasmanica Müll.Hal. & Hampe].

Encalypta australis Mitt., Fl. Tasman. 2: 182 (1859). Type: near the Cataract, Launceston, Tas., and on the fossiliferous limestone near Cheshunt, W.Archer; lecto: BM-Hooker (here chosen): “Encalypta australis M. Near the Cataract Launceston Tasmania 1 Aug. Mr. Archer” (BM-Hooker); isolecto: “Encalypta australis Mitten Tasmania Mr. Archer” (BM-Hooker).

Encalypta novae-valesiae Hampe, Linnaea 37: 513 (1872), as novae-valisiae; Pyramitrium novae-valesiae (Hampe) Mitt., Trans. & Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria 19: 61 (1882). Type: Blue Mountains, N.S.W.; holo: BM-Hampe.

S.A.: Wilpena Pound, Central Flinders Ranges, 31 Aug. 1952, R.G.Gray (MEL).

N.S.W.: Near Armidale, 26 Oct. 1903, W.W.Watts (NSW).

A.C.T.: Molongo River Gorge, c. 2 miles [c. 3.2 km] NE of Queanbeyan, 1 July 1963, L.D.Pryor (MEL).

Vic.: Euroa, near Strathbogie, 21 Sept. 1971, G.A.M.Scott (MELU).

Tas.: Snowy Knob, Central Highlands, A.Moscal 18844 (HO).

J.Beever, K.W.Allison & J.Child, The Mosses of New Zealand, 2nd edn 78, fig. 33a–h (1992); G.A.M.Scott, I.G.Stone & C.Rosser, The Mosses of Southern Australia 223, pl. 41 (1976).

Horton, D.G. (2012). Australian Mosses Online 20. Encalyptaceae. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Version 24 May 2012. http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/Mosses_online/20_Encaly.html