Plants persistently pale whitish green to green, 5–20 mm long. Stems with basal rhizoids, lacking fascicles of rhizoids between vaginant laminae. Leaf margins entire to slightly serrulate near the apex; lamina cells irregularly rounded-hexagonal, 9–15 µm long; juxtacostal cells of apical lamina unistratose.

Key differences from var. caniensis are the smaller laminal cells, generally shorter stems, and the upper leaf margins being entire or only slightly crenulate. Juxtacostal cells in the upper lamina are also unistratose.

Native.

Common on moist soil banks in rainforest and in hilly and montane areas.

Fissidens pallidus Hook.f. & Wilson, Fl. Nov.-Zel. 2: 62 (1854). Type: North Island, New Zealand, W.Colenso 391, H3750; holo: BM; iso: WELT.

Taxonomic synonyms

Fissidens howeanus Broth. ex Whitel., Proc. Linn. Soc. New South Wales 7: 277 (1892). Type: behind Nicholl’s house, in valley to south, Lord Howe Island, Aug.–Sept. 1887, T.Whitelegge 19; holo: NSW, fide I.G.Stone, J. Bryol. 16: 246 (1990b).

Fissidens whiteleggei Müll.Hal. ex Rodway, Pap. & Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasmania 1912: 135 (1913). Type: Mt Bischoff, Tas., L.Rodway; holo: HO.

Fissidens punctatus Hampe, Ber. Thätigk. St. Gallischen Naturwiss. Ges. 1874–75: 123 (1876), nom. nud., fide I.G.Stone, J.Bryol. 16: 248 (1990b).

Qld: Six Mile Ck, near Cooroy, H.Streimann 9936 (AD, CANB); Roaring Meg Ck, c. 20 km W of Cape Tribulation, M.Godwin C2828 p.p. (MEL).

N.S.W.: Ku-ring-gai Chase Natl Park, D.G.Catcheside 52.116 (AD).

Vic.: near Eurobin Falls, Mt Buffalo, D.G.Catcheside 69-217 (AD).

Tas.: Mt Wellington, 13 Nov. 1911, W.A.Weymouth (HO).

Stone (1990) examined material of F. whiteleggei from Mt Bischoff, Tasmania [L.Rodway s.n.( HO 73491); W.A.Weymouth 1018a (HO 73492)], and agreed with Sainsbury (1955) that the specimens represented “a tall form of F. pallidus”.

J.Beever, B.Malcolm & N.Malcolm, The Moss Genus Fissidens in New Zealand: an illustrated key 52 (2002), as F. pallidus; D.Meagher & B.Fuhrer, A Field Guide to the Mosses and Allied Plants of Southern Australia 43 (2003), as F. pallidus.

Sainsbury, G.O.K. (1955). A handbook of the New Zealand mosses. Bull. Roy. Soc. New Zealand 5: 1–490.

Stone, I.G. (1990b). Fissidens, sections Crispidium, Amblyothallia and Serridium and subgenus Pachyfissidens in Australasia: some taxonomic changes and a key to the species. J. Bryol. 16: 245–260.

Seppelt, R.D. & Stone, I.G. (2016). Australian Mosses Online 70. Fissidentaceae. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Version 16 June 2016. http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/Mosses_online/70_V2_Fissidentaceae.html

For more details about the history of this treatment see Fissidentaceae profile.