Plants small to large and robust, forming loose to dense tufts, pale to dark green, reddish-brown or -yellow to golden. Stems erect, few to several branched by innovations, in cross-section central strand present, radiculose, occasionally densely tomentose. Leaves distant to more commonly crowded, plane to contorted or crispate, erect-appressed to erect, often erect-spreading when wet, ovate, lanceolate, ovate- to oblong-lanceolate, or elliptical, apex acute to acuminate, base occasionally decurrent; margins usually reflexed to recurved, less often plane, entire to more commonly serrulate or serrate at mid-leaf or above; costae single, subpercurrent to ± long excurrent; laminal cells smooth, upper and median cells rhomboidal-hexagonal or hexagonal, rarely linear-rhomboidal; lower and basal cells short to long oblong or rectangular, thin to ± thick-walled, occasionally lax; marginal cells usually forming a distinct border of long linear cells, rarely unbordered. Dioicous, autoicous, or synoicous. Perigonia usually bud-like. Perichaetia terminal; leaves differentiated or not. Setae elongate, smooth. Capsules suberect to more commonly inclined or pendulous, urn short to long oblong or cylindrical-pyriform; stomata at urn base, superficial; neck short or long; annuli compound, revoluble; opercula convex-conic, apiculate or not; peristome double, exostome teeth 16, joined at base, mostly papillose, distally smooth, trabeculate; endostome lightly papillose, basal membrane ± high, segments keeled and perforate, cilia appendiculate or nodulose, occasionally rudimentary or absent. Calyptrae cucullate, smooth and naked. Spores spherical, smooth to papillose.

 

Plantas pequeñas hasta grandes y robustas, formando manojos laxos hasta densos, de color verde pálido hasta oscuro, pardo-rojizo o -amarillo hasta dorado. Tallos erectos, poco a muy ramificados por innovaciones, cordón central presente en corte transversal, radiculosos, en ocasiones densamente tomentosos. Hojas separadas a más comúnmente agregadas distalmente, planas hasta contortas o crispas, erecto-adpresas hasta erectas, a menudo erecto-extendidas en húmedo, ovadas, lanceoladas, ovado- a oblongo-lanceoladas, o elíptica, ápices agudos hasta acuminados, bases ocasionalmente decurrentes; márgenes generalmente reflexos hasta recurvados, no frecuentemente planos, enteros a más comúnmente serrulados o serrados a media hoja o más arriba; costa simple, subpercurrente a ± largo-excurrente; células de la lámina lisas, células superiores y medias romboidal-hexagonales o hexagonales, rara vez lineo-romboidales; células inferiores y basales corto- hasta largo-oblongas o rectangulares con paredes celulares delgadas hasta ± gruesas, ocasionalmente laxas; células del margen generalmente formando un borde distintivo de células largo lineales, rara vez sin borde. Dioicas, autoicas, o sinoicas. Perigonios generalmente en forma de yema. Periquecios terminales; hojas diferenciadas o no. Setas alargadas, lisas. Cápsulas suberectas a más comúnmente inclinadas o péndulas, urna corta hasta larga oblonga o cilíndrico-piriforme; estomas en la base de la urna, superficiales; cuello corto o largo; anillo compuesto, revoluble; opérculo cónico-convexo, apiculado o no; peristoma doble, exostoma con 16 dientes, unidos en la base, generalmente papilosos, distalmente lisos, trabeculados; endostoma finamente papiloso, membrana basal ± alta, segmentos carinados y perforados, cilios apendiculados o nodulosos, ocasionalmente rudimentarios o ausentes. Caliptra cuculada, lisa y desnuda. Esporas esféricas, lisas a papilosas.

 

Modified from Ochi (1980). To be revised.

 

1. Plants small; leaves 1.5 mm or less long … Group I. (couplet 3)

1. Plants medium sized to robust; leaves 1.5-4 mm or more long … 2

2. Plants medium sized to large, leaves generally 1.5-3 mm long … Group II. (couplet 13)

2. Plants robust; leaves mostly 4 mm or more long … Group III. (couplet 36)

 

GROUP I. PLANTS SMALL; LEAVES 1.5 mm OR LESS LONG

 

3. Plants silvery; leaves mostly less than 1.5 mm long … 4.

3. Plants not silvery … 7.

 

PLANTS SMALL, SILIVER IN COLOR

 

4. Leaves bordered; páramo … B. ellipsifolium

4. Leaves not bordered … 5.

5. Capsules nearly erect … B. insolitum

5. Capsules horizontal to pendulous … 6.

6. Capsules nearly horizontal to nutant; operculum apiculate; widespread, at all elevations, … B. argenteum

6. Capsules pendulous; operculum weakly apiculate (ne Argentina, s Bolivia)… B. maceratum

 

PLANTS SMALL (LEAVES 1.5 mm OR LESS) LIGHT TO DARK GREEN OR GOLDEN YELLOW IN COLOR

 

7. Plants strongly lustrous; laminal cells sublinear … 8.

7. Plants hardly lustrous; laminal cells broader, fusiform, rhombic or rhomboidal … 9.

8. Leaves erect-spreading when moist, oblong- or triangular-lanceolate, base broad, margins revolute, costa strong … B. micro-nitidum

8. Leaves similar in position dry or wet, not erect-spreading, ovate or oblong-ovate, base gradually narrowed, margins plane, costa slender … B. chryseum

9. Leaf costa subpercurrent (ending several cells below apex) to very short excurrent (± apiculate) … 10.

9. Leaf costa excurrent, smooth or toothed … 12.

10. Leaves imbricate the length of the stem; axillary gemmae absent … B. leptocladon

10. Leaves crowded in upper part of stem; axillary gemmae present or absent … 11.

11. Plants ± complanate, leaves somewhat crowded, not concave; costa percurrent or ± apiculate … B. limbatum

11. Plants not complanate; leaves distant, rather deeply concave; costa ending well below apex … B. renauldii

12. Leaves usually ovate; capsules horizontal to nodding, globose or oval-pyriform, with a scarcely corrugate neck … B. dichotomum

12. Leaves ovate- or oblong-lanceolate; capsules pendulous, oblong with a corrugate neck … B. coronatum

 

GROUP II. PLANTS MEDIUM SIZED; LEAVES CA. 1.5-4 mm LONG

 

13. Leaves not or scarcely bordered … 14.

13. Leaves distinctly bordered … 25.

14. Leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate … 15

14. Leaves ovate or oval … 24.

15. Leaves crowded in upper part of stem (plants medium sized) … 16.

15. Leaves almost equally spaced throughout the stem … 19.

16. Plants not or hardly lustrous … 17.

16. Plants lustrous … 18.

17. Plants dioicous; gemmae on rhizoids spherical, greater than 180 um … B. subapiculatum

17. Plants synoicous; gemmae on rhizoids pyriforme, less than 100 um … B. pabstianum

18. Laminal cells hexagonal, not much larger and subquadrate or short-rectangular in basal part … B. radiculosum

18. Laminal cells narrowly rhomboidal-hexagonal, abruptly larger in basal part … B. apiculatum

19. Leaves a little distantly spaced, decurrent, with a long, tapering apiculus (plants medium sized) … B. soboliferum

19. Leaves closely spaced, hardly decurrent, without apiculus … 20.

20. Plants scarcely lustrous; leaves with an abruptly narrowed base (plants medium sized) … B. incacorralis

20. Plants lustrous; leaves with a broad base … 21

21. Leaves with a long-acuminate apex, margins revolute almost throughout (plts med siz) … B. paradoxum

21. Leaves with an obtuse apex, margins plane or slightly reflexed … 22.

22. Plants large, rarely robust; leaves irregularly serrate or crenulate in distal margins; costa very long-excurrent, tip spinose … B. spininervium

22. Plants medium-sized; leaves almost entire in distal margins; costa percurrent or short-excurrent, tip smooth … 23.

23. Laminal cells narrowly rhomboidal or rhomboidal-hexagonal, ca. 10 um wide … B. alpinum

23. Laminal cells broader, rhomboidal-hexagonal or hexagonal, ca. 12-14 um wide ... B. muhlenbeckkii

24. Leaves closely imbricate near distal portion of stem, obtuse or acute, laminal cells very large … B. cellulare

24. Leaves rather distantly spaced, rounded at the apex, laminal cells much smaller, shorter … B. renauldii

 

PLANTS MEDIUM SIZED, LEAF MARGINS DISTINCTLY BORDERED

 

25. Leaves ovate, oblong or oblong- or triangular-lanceolate … 26.

25. Leaves obovate-oblong or-lingulate (plants medium) … 34.

26. Leaves bordered in the median and basal part … B. clavatum

26. Leaves bordered almost throughout … 27.

27. Leaves triangular-lanceolate; laminal cells narrowly rhomboidal or narrowly hexagonal, ca. 10 µm wide … B. microchaeton

27. Leaves ovate or oblong, laminal cells broader … 28.

28. Leaves usually equally spaced throughout stem … 29.

28. Leaves crowded in the upper part of stem … 30.

29. Leaves closely imbricate when dry, usually broadly oblong or elliptic, concave, recurved margin 3/4-4/5 leaf length, entire to weakly dentate; in páramo … B. laevigatum

29. Leaves crisped or spreading when dry, oblong-lanceolate or narrowly oblong not concave, recurved margin to mid leaf or less, sharply toothed; mid montane forest … B. densifolium

30. Leaves closely imbricate when dry; spores ca. 10 µm … B. caespiticium

      [Plants autoicous; leaves 1.5-3 mm long; apparently rare … B. pallescens]

30. Leaves twisted or wrinkled when dry; spores larger … 31.

31. Leaves serrulate or crenulate only near the apex, distinctly decurrent; endostome with well developed appendiculate cilia (plants medium or large) … B. pseudotriquetrum

31. Leaves entire or indistinctly crenulate in the upper part, scarcely decurrent; endostome cilia rudimentary … 32.

32. Plants lustrous; leaves spirally twisted when dry, margins plane, apex hardly acuminate … B. atenense

32. Plants scarcely lustrous; leaves crisped or wrinkled when dry, margins revolute, apex long acuminate … 40.

33. Capsule operculum small, conic, slightly pointed; endostome adherent to exostome in basal part … B. algovicum

33. Capsule operculum large, hemispherical, apiculate; endostome free of exostome … B. amblyodon

34. Laminal cells ca. 25 um wide, sublinear or long-rectangular in basal part, decurrent part; capsules with neck long … B. pallens

34. Laminal cells ca. to 20 um wide, usually narrower, rectangular in basal part; capsule neck short … 35.

35. Leaves scarcely twisted when dry; border cells scarcely thicker-walled and ± more elongate … B. pseudocapillare

35. Leaves strongly twisted when dry, border cells ± thicker-walled and more elongate … B. capillare

 

GROUP III. PLANTS ROBUST; LEAVES MOSTLY 4 mm OR MORE LONG

[leaves crowded in a rosette at least on fertile stems]

 

36. Leaves not or weakly bordered … 37.

36. Leaves distinctly bordered … 39.

37. Leaves closely imbricate when dry, oval to broadly oblong, costa very long excurrent … B. campylothecium

37. Leaves not imbricate when dry, oblong to obovate-oblong, costa short excurrent … 38.

38. Plants usually lustrous; leaves scarcely decurrent; border, if present, in 2-3 rows … B. canariense

38. Plants hardly lustrous; leaves decurrent; border always present, in 4-6 rows … B. lepto-torquescens

39. Leaf marginal teeth double (planalto of Brazil) … B. duplicatum†

39. Leaf marginal teeth single … 42.

40. Leaves oblong, not distinctly rostulate; border yellowish, its cells with strongly pitted walls; terminal stems often with reduced flagellate branches with scale-like leaves; spores ca. 20 µm … B. richardsii

40. Leaves obovate-lingulate, distinctly rostulate; border greenish, its cells with hardly pitted walls; terminal stems lacking flagellate branches; spores ca. 10 µm … B. andicola