1	"Leaf, when dry, rigidly erect, and usually with the majority of the apices broken off and functioning as propagules"	2
1	"Leaf apices not caducous"	3
2	"Costal cross-section with obvious guide cells but with only a single layer of cells adaxial to those guide cells; capsule erect on a straight seta"	"Orthodicranum tauricum"
2	"Costal cross-section with more than one layer of cells adaxial to the guide cells, these sometimes substereidal; capsule arcuate"	"Dicranum fragilifolium"
3	"Alar cells in an auriculate base (often left on stem with careless dissection); margin nearly entire; median laminal cells 6-10:1, not pitted; stereids in costa lacking"	"Blindia acuta"
3	"Alar region not auriculate; margin serrulate to dentate"	4
4	"Median leaf cells elongate and strongly porose; costa ridged or toothed dorsally at least near the leaf apex; leaves usually somewhat falcate"	5
4	"Median leaf cells nearly isodiametric, not porose; costa not ridged on abaxial surface (though in some cases prorate)"	10
5	"Leaf lamina strongly undulate; leaves of dry plant spreading with apex of leafy stem not hamate; margin recurved near the base"	"Dicranum polysetum"
5	"Leaf lamina not, or only lightly undulate; leaves of dry plant erect with the leafy stem apex thus markedly hamate; margin plane to erect"	6
6	"Abaxial surface of the costa with ridges or teeth in distal 1/3"	7
6	"Abaxial surface of the costa smooth throughout"	9
7	"Costa at mid-leaf with two rows of guide cells; leaves mostly about 10 mm long; leaf lamina near the apex with bistratose streaks that are often abaxially dentate"	"Dicranum majus"
7	"Costa at mid-leaf with only a single row of guide cells; leaves about 5-8 mm long; leaf lamina unistratose except in alar region"	8
8	"Innermost parachaetial leaf said to be gradually acuminate, the point of inflection having a tangent of ~45 degree relative to the longitudinal axis; alar region with rectangular, inflated cells throughout, only gradually transitting to the rectangular cells of the mid-leaf; costa with inconspicuous dorsal ridges"	"Dicranum howellii"
8	"Innermost parachaetial leaf very abruptly tapered to what is essentially a subulate acumen, the point of inflection having a tangent of nearly 90 degree perpendicular to long axis; alar region distally bounded by a row of quadrate, inflated cells that set off that alar region from the rectangular cells of the mid-leaf; costa with dorsal ridges partly more than one cell high"	"Dicranum scoparium"
9	"Costa excurrent; cells of distal portion of leaf heteromorphic in size and shape even in a single leaf"	"Dicranum spadiceum"
9	"Costa ending slightly before leaf apex; cells of distal portion of leaf rectangular and similar one to another"	"Dicranum rhabdocarpum"
10	"Leaves of moist plants transversely undulate, not crispate"	"Dicranum undulatum"
10	"Leaves not transversely undulate; crispate when dry"	11
11	"Leaf bluntly keeled to subtubular in distal portion of leaf with the cross-section at mid-leaf describing a ""U""; distal portion of costa without stereid bands; capsules yellow-green to brown; most older leaves broken toward their apices"	"Dicranum pallidisetum"
11	"Leaf keeled along costa from at least the middle to near the apex with the cross-section at mid-leaf describing a ""V""; distal portion of costa with stereid bands; capsules brown to reddish-brown; leaves seldom broken"	12
12	"Both stereid bands of median costa about 4 cells thick; costa long excurrent; leaf base inserted on stem at 60-75 angle and then abruptly ascending and crispate; laminal cells in awn 2-3:1 and prorate with prorulae as long as the cell width"	"Dicranum sulcatum"
12	"Both stereid bands of median costa about 2 cells thick; costa percurrent to short excurrent; leaf ascending throughout with base inserted at less than a 45 angle; laminal cells in awn mostly isodiametric with the prorulae smaller"	"Dicranum fuscescens"