SPECIES FACT SHEET
Common Name: Candle snuffer moss, stubby extinguisher moss
Scientific Name: Encalypta brevipes
Division: Bryophyta
Class: Bryopsida
Order: Pottiales
Family: Encalyptaceae
Technical Description: Plants erect, to 13 mm tall, light green at tip of
shoots but dark green to blackish below. Leaves 2-4 mm long, usually
with awns to 2.5 mm, contorted and incurved when dry, keeled, with a
prominent, shiny green or brown costa. Leaf tips rounded, the blades
broadly oblong or obovate, the cells with straight walls and simple
papillae. Seta 1-3 mm long. Calyptra 1-3 m long, fringed or lacerate at
bottom, resembling an old-fashioned candle-snuffer, hence the name
"extinguisher moss." Capsules smooth, 1-3 mm long, narrowly cylindric,
reddish yellow with a red rim. Peristome absent. Distinctive characters:
The shape of the calyptra is unique to the genus. If the calyptra is
missing, look for (1) cylindrical capsules with a red rim, no peristome,
and barely exserted above the leaves, (2) broad, awned leaves, (3) cells
with straight walls and simple papillae, and (4) rocky habitat. Similar
species: Encalypta alpina has lanceolate leaves with acute apices. E.
spathulata has longitudinally ribbed capsules. E. mutica has no awns on
the leaves, and plants are less than 8 mm tall. E. vulgaris has the base of
the calyptra entire. Some species of Tortula occur in rocky crevices but
their leaves are brownish, their leaf papillae are C-shaped or antlershaped, and their peristome teeth are wound up tightly in a distinctive
cone. Other descriptions and illustrations: Horton and Murray 1976:
323; Horton 1983: 484; Christy and Wagner 1996: VII-30; Magill 2007:
178.
Life History: Details for Encalypta brevipes are not documented.
Protonema inconspicuous, forming buds and shoots in usual fashion of
moss growth and development.
Range, Distribution, and Abundance: Interruptedly circumboreal. In
the Pacific Northwest known from Alberta, British Columbia,
Washington, and Oregon.
National Forests: documented from the Rogue River-Siskiyou NF;
suspected by most National Forests in Region 6. BLM Districts: none
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documented; suspected on the Coos Bay, Eugene, and Salem Districts.
Documented from Saddle Mountain State Park, Clatsop Co., Oregon.
Reportedly rare throughout its range and apparently restricted to
unglaciated regions (Horton 1983; Hedderson and Brassard 1992).
Habitat Associations: Soil on ledges and in crevices on cliffs, reported
from both igneous and siliceous substrates (Horton 1983; Hedderson and
Brassard 1992). Sites may be subject to frequent fog penetration.
Associated species in Oregon include Cheilanthes gracillima, Selaginella
wallacei, Sedum, Grimmia ramondii, Claopodium bolanderi, Bucklandiella
heterosticha, Racomitrium lanuginosum, Niphotrichum elongatum,
Polytrichum piliferum, Amphidium, and Gymnomitrion. Plant associations
in the Pacific Northwest include Abies amabilis, Abies lasiocarpa, and
Tsuga mertensiana.
Threats: Road and trail construction and maintenance, quarrying, air
pollution and overcollecting are the primary threats to Encalypta
brevipes. Quarrying and road and trail construction could destroy rocky
habitat for this species. Sites on fog-drenched ridges could be at risk
from air pollution because condensation of harmful aerosols may occur
at these locations.
Conservation Considerations: Revisit known localities and monitor the
status of the populations. Search for new populations on federal and
state lands.
Conservation rankings: Global: G3; National: NNR; Oregon: S1, List 2;
British Columbia: S2S3, Blue List. Not known from Washington.
Preparer: John A. Christy
Date Completed: June 2007
Edited by: Rob Huff, July 2007
Revised by Candace Fallon, February 2011
(Revision only adds Attachment 1, Photos)
Revised by Rob Huff, August 2011
(Revision clarified that the species is not suspected to occur on all of the NF in Region
6).
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ATTACHMENTS:
(1)
Photos
References
Christy, J.A. & D.H. Wagner. 1996. Guide for the identification of rare,
threatened or sensitive bryophytes in the range of the northern
spotted owl, western Washington, western Oregon and northwestern
California. USDI Bureau of Land Management, Oregon-Washington
State Office, Portland. 222 pp.
Hedderson, T.A. & G.R. Brassard. 1992. Encalypta affinis subsp.
macounii and E. brevipes new to eastern North America from the
Torngat, Northern Labrador, Canada. Bryologist 95: 31-32.
Horton, D.G. 1983. A revision of the Encalyptaceae (Musci), with
particular reference to the North American taxa. Part II. J. Hattori
Bot. Lab. 54: 353-532.
_______ & B.M. Murray. 1976. Encalypta brevipes and E. mutica,
gymnostomous species new to North America. Bryologist 79: 321-331.
Magill, R.E. 2007. Encalyptaceae. Pp. 170-179 in: Flora of North America
Editorial Committee. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Volume
27. Oxford University Press, New York. 713 pp.
Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center. 2007. Rare, threatened and
endangered species of Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Information
Center, Oregon State University. Portland. 100 pp.
http://oregonstate.edu/ornhic/2007_t&e_book.pdf
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Attachment 1 – Photos
All photos by J. Harpel, under contract with the Oregon/Washington Bureau of Land
Management.
Aral and basal cells
Upper medial cells
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Calyptra fringe
Calyptra
Mouth of urn
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Leaf
Leaf apex
Perigonum
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Sporophyte
Sporophyte wet
Spores
Whole mount
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