Pyxidanthera brevifolia, the littleleaf pixiemoss[3] or sandhills pyxie-moss, is a plant species known only from North Carolina and South Carolina. It occurs in deep, sandy soil such as sand hills and sandy ridgetops, sometimes in open pine-oak woodlands, at elevations of 50–200 m (160–660 ft).[4]
| Pyxidanthera brevifolia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Diapensiaceae |
| Genus: | Pyxidanthera |
| Species: | P. brevifolia
|
| Binomial name | |
| Pyxidanthera brevifolia Wells
| |
| Synonyms[1][2] | |
|
Pyxidanthera barbulata var. brevifolia (Wells) H.E. Ahles | |
Pyxidanthera brevifolia is closely related to the more widespread P. barbulata, and some authors have suggested considering the two as a single species. For the moment, though, Flora of North America[4] and the Kew Gardens Plant List [5] both accept P. brevifolia as a distinct species. The two can be distinguished by the leaves. Leaves of P. brevifolia are shorter than those of P. barbulata, rarely more than 4 millimetres (0.16 in) long. They also lack the marginal cilia characteristic of P. barbulata, and are more intensely woolly on the underside.[6]
References
edit- ^ Tropicos
- ^ Ahles, Harry E. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 80(2): 173. 1964.
- ^ NRCS. "Pyxidanthera brevifolia". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 16 October 2015.
- ^ a b Flora of North America v 8 p 337
- ^ Kew Gardens Plant List
- ^ Wells, Bertram Whittier. Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society 44(2): 238–239, pl. 9. 1929.