Pyxidanthera brevifolia

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]