| Pseudoscleropodium | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pseudoscleropodium purum | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Bryophyta |
| Class: | Bryopsida |
| Subclass: | Bryidae |
| Order: | Hypnales |
| Family: | Brachytheciaceae |
| Genus: | Pseudoscleropodium (Limpr.) M. Fleisch. |
| Species: | P. purum |
| Binomial name | |
| Pseudoscleropodium purum | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Pseudoscleropodium purum, or neat feather-moss, is a species of moss and the sole representative of the genus Pseudoscleropodium.
The species is described as having a pleurocarpous growth habit that forms soft carpets or turfs. It has regularly pinnate shoots up to 15 cm long. Branching may become irregular when growing on disturbed sites, such as mowed lawns. Branches are usually between 1 and 3 cm in length. [1] The shoots of have a swollen appearance which is especially pronounced when moist. [2]
The leaves are yellow-green to dark green and are broadly ovate. They are distinctly recurved at the tip and have a single costa that extends midleaf. Stem leaves are between 2 mm and 2.5 mm in length, while branch leaves are slightly smaller and are found to be between 1 and 2 mm in length. [1]
The moss mainly propagates vegetatively, with sporophytes rarely being observed. [3] The seta is relatively long, ranging between 2 and 5 cm. [2] Sporophytes are not known to occur in North America. [1]
The original range of this species is not known, though it is classified as a European moss. The ambiguity of its original range also makes classifying where it is ‘exotic’ and in turn an invasive species within continental Europe very difficult. Outside of continental Europe, it has been found in the British Isles, Iceland, the Azores, Madeira, the Canary Islands, and much further in Jamaica, Hawaii, Chile, New Zealand, Southeastern Australia, and St. Helena, as well as scattered areas in North America and Asia. In these areas it is considered non-native. [4]
In natural settings, it can be found in areas of low to moderate elevation. [1] It has a range of habitats including acidic and calcified grasslands, heaths, on banks, and among rocks and on rock ledges. It is a typical forest floor moss, especially characteristic of young, reforested areas. Although it is found in open woodland, it is not particularly shade tolerant. [3] A study based in New York consistently found the species in association with several trees. In particular, it is associated with standalone or small groves of Picea abies and Thuja occidentalis . While it grows well in the area right under the canopy, it flourishes when leaf litter is sparse or entirely removed. [4]
It is often found in areas of high anthropogenic activity and disturbance. Primarily, it grows in the lawns of urban areas, cemeteries, forest edges, roadsides, and among discarded lawn clippings. On the Pacific coast, is considered a troublesome lawn weed. [1]
Given their lack of study in the past, it is difficult to say how the species was introduced to these areas. The exception to this is the historical receipt of a packing shipment:
This points to the wide scale spread of the species in the form of an auxiliary material. On a local scale, the species likely has been disseminated inadvertently from one lawn to another by professional lawn-care workers. [1]
The species is a known to bioaccumulate heavy metals and nitrogen. [5] Since the nitrogen concentration in the moss tissue correlates with the nitrogen concentration found in precipitation, it is used for biomonitoring. [6]
Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophytasensu stricto. Bryophyta may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hornworts. Mosses typically form dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations. The individual plants are usually composed of simple leaves that are generally only one cell thick, attached to a stem that may be branched or unbranched and has only a limited role in conducting water and nutrients. Although some species have conducting tissues, these are generally poorly developed and structurally different from similar tissue found in vascular plants. Mosses do not have seeds and after fertilisation develop sporophytes with unbranched stalks topped with single capsules containing spores. They are typically 0.2–10 cm (0.1–3.9 in) tall, though some species are much larger. Dawsonia, the tallest moss in the world, can grow to 50 cm (20 in) in height. There are approximately 12,000 species.
Takakia is a genus of two species of mosses known from western North America and central and eastern Asia. The genus is placed as a separate family, order and class among the mosses. It has had a history of uncertain placement, but the discovery of sporophytes clearly of the moss-type firmly supports placement with the mosses.
Meesia triquetra, the three-ranked hump-moss, is a moss that occurs all around the northern hemisphere in higher latitudes.
Tetraphidaceae is a family of mosses. It includes only the two genera Tetraphis and Tetrodontium, each with two species. The defining feature of the family is the 4-toothed peristome.
Aulacomnium palustre, the bog groove-moss or ribbed bog moss, is a moss that is nearly cosmopolitan in distribution. It occurs in North America, Hispaniola, Venezuela, Eurasia, and New Zealand. In North America, it occurs across southern arctic, subboreal, and boreal regions from Alaska and British Columbia to Greenland and Quebec. Documentation of ribbed bog moss's distribution in the contiguous United States is probably incomplete. It is reported sporadically south to Washington, Wyoming, Georgia, and Virginia.
Sphagnum fuscum, the rusty bogmoss or rusty peat moss, is a peat moss found commonly in Norway and Sweden, and can be found scattered across North America, the United Kingdom, and in southern to eastern Europe.
Hypnodendron comosum, commonly known as palm moss or palm tree moss, is a ground moss which can be divided into two varieties: Hypnodendron comosum var. comosum and Hypnodendron comosum var. sieberi. Both Hypnodendron varieties most commonly grow in damp locations in the temperate and tropical rainforests of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania in southern Australia and in New Zealand.
Splachnaceae is a family of mosses, containing around 70 species in 6 genera. Around half of those species are entomophilous, using insects to disperse their spores, a characteristic found in no other seedless land plants.
Pogonatum urnigerum is a species of moss in the family Polytrichaceae, commonly called urn haircap. The name comes from "urna" meaning "urn" and "gerere" meaning "to bear" which is believed to be a reference made towards the plant's wide-mouthed capsule. It can be found on gravelly banks or similar habitats and can be identified by the blue tinge to the overall green colour. The stem of this moss is wine red and it has rhizoids that keep the moss anchored to substrates. It is an acrocarpous moss that grows vertically with an archegonium borne at the top of each fertilized female gametophyte shoot which develops an erect sporophyte.
Warnstorfia exannulata is a leafy branching wetland moss in the genus Warnstorfia within the family Amblystegiaceae and class Bryopsida. This bryopsida moss is also known as ringless-hook moss or Warnstorfia moss. It is the most common species of the genus in wetland environments and can be difficult to distinguish from others within the genus. It grows in acidic soils like fens and bogs, or in freshwater pools and lakes.
Rhytidiadelphus loreus, also commonly known as lanky moss and Little Shaggy Moss, is a nonvascular "feather moss" species that is a key component of a healthy, thriving forest ecosystem. Lanky moss grows in North America, Canada and Europe. It is primarily a coastal species that grows in moist, coniferous and deciduous forests, acidic grasslands and in the UK, heathy slopes on mountains. It grows on decaying logs, the forest floor and as an epiphyte on living trees. Its key functions in the ecosystem are water retention and temperature insulation.
Climacium dendroides, also known as tree climacium moss, belongs in the order Hypnales and family Climaciaceae, in class Bryopsida and subclass Bryidae. It is identified as a "tree moss" due to its distinctive morphological features, and has four species identified across the Northern Hemisphere. The species name "dendroides" describes the tree-like morphology of the plant, and its genus name came from the structure of the perforations of peristome teeth. This plant was identified by Weber and Mohr in 1804. They often have stems that are around 2-10 cm tall and growing in the form of patches, looking like small palm-trees. They have yellow-green branches at the tip of stems. The leaves are around 2.5-3 mm long, with rounder stem leaves and pointier branch leaves. Their sporophytes are only abundant in late winter and early spring, and appears as a red-brown shoot with long stalk and cylindrical capsules.
Dicranoloma dicarpum is relatively common moss which is widespread in the Southern Hemisphere. The genus Dicranoloma has 40 species, which share the features of long stems, wispy and twisted leaves, and large, erect capsules. The genus is dominant in wet forest habitats in Australia and New Zealand.
Bryum argenteum, the silvergreen bryum moss or silvery thread moss, is a species of moss in the family Bryaceae. It is one of the most common mosses of urban areas and can be easily recognized without a microscope.
Orthotrichum lyellii, also known as Lyell's bristle moss, is a species of acrocarpous moss belonging to the family Orthotrichaceae. O. lyellii can be found throughout western North America and Europe. It is found most commonly growing epiphytically on a variety of trees, and less commonly on rocks or boulder substrates.
Tortula muralis, commonly known as wall- screw moss, is a species of moss in the family Pottiaceae. T. muralis is found throughout the world.
Polytrichastrum formosum, commonly known as the bank haircap moss, is a species of moss belonging to the family Polytrichaceae.
Splachnum rubrum, is a species of moss in the Splachnum genus which is found in the Northern Hemisphere. Like other species in the Splachnum genus, it is known for growing on animal waste and being entomophilous. Although very rare, its bright red-purple sporangia makes its sporophyte stage stand out well when seenin the wild.
Andreaea blyttii, also commonly known as Blytt's rock moss, is a moss belonging to the family Andreaeaceae, commonly known as rock moss, granite moss, or lantern moss because of this family's unique sporangium. It is part of the genus Andreaea which is known for forming dark brownish or reddish-black carpets in high elevations. This species was first described by Schimper in 1855.
Timmia megapolitana, also known as Indian feather moss and warrior moss is a genus of moss in the family Timmiaceae and order Timmiales.