Stems: commonly branched. Leaf: base narrower to little wider than the limb. Sexual: condition dioicous, autoicous or synoicous, occasionally polyoicous. Seta: usually 1.5â2.5 cm. Capsule: with theca reaching 3â4 mm, operculum commonly 1â1.5 mm, peristome distinctly twisted. Phenology: Sporophytes mature summerâfall (occasionally winter). Habitat: Soil, humus, limestone crevices, vertical rock face Elevation: moderate elevations (700-1500 m) Distribution: Ariz., Calif., N.Mex., Tex., Wash., Mexico, Central America, Europe, Asia, n Africa.
Discussion: Timmiella anomala commonly grows in dusty, friable soil that makes dissections difficult. H. A. Crum and L. E. Anderson (1980â1983, vol. 4) suggested that this species may also be dioicous; K. Saito (1975) and Li X. J. et al. (2001) asserted that it is dioicous in Asia (Japan and China, respectively). A specimen from California, Showers 3326, MO, has stems with synoicous perichaetia and also apparently entirely perigoniate stems, possibly due to rhizautoicy. According to B. Allen (2002), Timmiella anomala in Central America has peristome teeth erect to very weakly twisted though these are described as at least once twisted in publications on other areas of the world. Material from the Yukon is sterile and only tentatively identifiable as this species.