Racomitrium lanuginosum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Division: | Bryophyta |
Class: | Bryopsida |
Subclass: | Dicranidae |
Order: | Grimmiales |
Family: | Grimmiaceae |
Genus: | Racomitrium |
Section: | Racomitrium sect. Racomitrium |
Species: | R. lanuginosum |
Binomial name | |
Racomitrium lanuginosum | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Racomitrium lanuginosum is a widespread species of moss found in montane and arctic tundra, the genus Racomitrium is found across the Northern and Southern hemispheres. [2] , however Racomitrium lanuginosum is only found in the Northern hemisphere. It grows as large mats on exposed rock and in boulder scree, particularly on acidic rocks. Its leaves have a characteristically decurrent and toothed hair-point, which gives rise to its regional common names woolly fringemoss, [3] hoary rock-moss and woolly moss.
Racomitrium lanuginosum grows as "large cushiony mats". [4] Its stems are up to 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long and irregularly branched. [4] The leaves are 3–5 millimetres (0.12–0.20 in) long, 0.6–0.9 mm (0.02–0.04 in) wide, lanceolate, pointed and with a strong midrib. [2] [4] They end in a long, thin hair-point, with teeth along both sides pointing 40°–90° from the axis of the leaf. [2] The hyaline (transparent) margins of the hair-point are decurrent along the sides of the leaf. [2] Especially when dry, these hair-points give the plant a downy appearance, which is referenced in several of the common names for the species. [4]
Sporophytes are rarely produced, [2] although they are reported to be abundant in coastal areas. [4] The capsules are 1.0–1.7 mm (0.04–0.07 in) long, smooth and brown, and contain spores, which are 8–12 μm long. [2] The form of the hair-points on the leaves of R. lanuginosum is unique among mosses. [2]
Racomitrium lanuginosum is "one of the few bryophytes familiar to many non-bryologists". [5] Other species that may be confused with it include R. canescens and its close relatives, [5] R. heterostichum and Hedwigia stellata . [4] [6]
Racomitrium lanuginosum grows from sea level to the alpine zone, particularly among boulder scree and on exposed rock surfaces. It will also grow in tundra or bogs. [6] It is more frequently found on acidic rocks than calcareous ones. [2]
Racomitrium lanuginosum has a circumpolar distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, and is found disjunctly in the mountains of the tropics and the Southern Hemisphere. [6]
Within North America, R. lanuginosum is found widely across northern Canada, and extends further south both in the east (to Maine), and in the west (to California and the Rocky Mountains). [6] It is also found in Costa Rica and in mountainous regions of South America and South Africa. [2]
In the Atlantic Ocean, isolated populations occur on Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira, Tristan da Cunha and South Georgia; it also occurs on Réunion in the Indian Ocean, in New Zealand, Hawaii and the sub-Antarctic islands Deception Island, Kerguelen, Îles Crozet, Heard Island and the Prince Edward Islands. [2]
As well as occurring widely across Arctic Asia, R. lanuginosum is also found in some temperate and tropical mountains on Borneo, Java, Sumatra and New Guinea. [2] In Australia, R. lanuginosum is restricted to Tasmania and the highest ground of the Great Dividing Range on the border of New South Wales and Victoria. [7]
Racomitrium lanuginosum was first described by Johann Hedwig in 1801 as Trichostomum lanuginosum. It was moved to its current genus in 1818 when Samuel Elisée Bridel-Brideri established the genus Racomitrium, and that position was cemented in 1860 when Wilhelm Philippe Schimper designated R. lanuginosum as the type species of Racomitrium. [8] Racomitrium lanuginosum is classified in Racomitrium sect. Racomitrium, a group that also contains the species R. geronticum and R. pruinosum . [8]
Racomitrium lanuginosum is known by a variety of vernacular names around the world. In the British Isles, it is known as the "woolly fringe-moss", [5] in Canada as the "hoary rock-moss", [6] and in New Zealand as "woolly moss". [9]
Meesia uliginosa, the broad-nerved hump-moss, is a rare moss of the Western U.S. It occurs all around the northern hemisphere in higher latitudes, and in some places is not as rare as in the Western U.S.
Discelium is the only genus of moss in the family Disceliaceae; it contains the single species Discelium nudum, the flag-moss. This species is rare, but is widely distributed in cool and temperate climates of the Northern Hemisphere.
Physcomitrium pyriforme, commonly known as common bladder-moss, is a bryophyte native to all continents except South America and Antarctica. Its capsules mature beginning in late fall and through the spring. It is most commonly found in wet soils in disturbed locations. A highly variable species, size, leaf characters and shape of the capsule vary across its range, but often within populations as well.
Hylocomium splendens, commonly known as glittering woodmoss, splendid feather moss, stairstep moss, and mountain fern moss, is a perennial clonal moss with a widespread distribution in Northern Hemisphere boreal forests. It is commonly found in Europe, Russia, Alaska and Canada, where it is often the most abundant moss species. It also grows in the Arctic tundra and further south at higher elevations in, for example, northern California, western Sichuan, East Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies. In Scotland it is a characteristic species of the Caledonian Forest. Under the UK's national vegetation classification system, pinewood community W18 is named as "Pinus sylvestris-Hylocomium splendens woodland", indicating its significance in this ecosystem.
Andreaea frigida, commonly known as icy rockmoss, is a moss endemic to Europe which is found in mountainous regions in Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Romania, Poland, and Spain. In the UK its occurrence is widespread in the Cairngorms National Park, where it is typically found on rocks in burns fed by snow patches, but it is not found elsewhere except at a single site in the Lake District of England.
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus is a species of moss known as springy turf-moss in the United Kingdom, and square goose neck moss in the United States. It is widespread in Eurasia and North America, and has been introduced to the Southern Hemisphere. It has broad ecological tolerances, and is usually found in man-made habitats such as lawns and golf courses. It is most closely related to R. subpinnatus, with which it is often confused.
Zygodon gracilis, the slender yokemoss, is a moss species in the genus Zygodon. It is a rare lithophyte found to only grow on certain localities of limestone outcrops that has high calcium carbonate content. The current global conservation status of Z. gracilis is considered to be "imperiled".
Dicranum scoparium, the broom forkmoss, is a species of dicranid moss, native to most of the northern hemisphere as well as Oceania. It usually forms tufts or mats on soil in dry to moist forested areas. As with many types of moss Broom moss grows in clumps with Broom mosses as well as other mosses. It can be distinguished by its leaves, which strongly curve to one side.
Sphagnum capillifolium, the red bogmoss, northern peat moss, acute-leaved bog-moss, or small red peat moss, is a species of peat moss native to Canada, the northern United States, Greenland, and Europe. Small red peat moss can be distinguished by its sweeping, outward-curving branches that resemble tresses. Sphagnum moss can hold large amounts of water within its cells, up to 20 times its own weight! This capability is due to its dead, empty cells called hyaline cells that fill up with water. This allows the moss to survive in wet boggy habitats around rivers and lakes
Splachnum sphaericum, also known as pinkstink dung moss, is a species of moss. This species occurs in North America. It also occurs in upland Britain, where it is known as round-fruited collar-moss and in north temperate and boreal regions of Europe. Its habitat is bog and wet heathland where it grows on herbivore dung. This and other Splachnum species are entomophilous. The sporophytes, which are generally coloured red or black, produce an odour of carrion that is attractive to flies and the spores are dispersed by flies to fresh dung.
Calliergon cordifolium is a species of moss in the Calliergonaceae family, commonly known as the calliergon moss or heart-leaved spearmoss. The species is abundant in the right habitat, and grows in marshes and wet woodland, especially woodland of alder (Alnus) or willow (Salix), as well as around streams, ditches and pools. The species grows in tufts among other moss species. Calliergon cordifolium requires a wet environment to grow, and often grows completely submerged in water. It typically prefers lowland, but has been recorded as high as 910 metres (1,000 yd) above sea level in Inverness, Scotland. The species has a circumpolar Boreo-temperate distribution. It is found throughout Europe. It has been recorded in north and central Asia, as well as Turkey and Japan, throughout North America and in New Zealand.
Plagiomnium affine, the many-fruited thyme-moss, is a species of thyme-moss found in old-growth boreal forests in North America, Europe and Asia, growing in moist, but not wet, basic to slightly acidic micro-habitats in woodland and in turf.
Tetrodontium repandum, the small four-tooth moss, is a moss in the family Tetraphidaceae. It is one of only two recognized species in the genus Tetrodontium, and is native to subalpine regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It has been reported from Alaska, British Columbia, Washington state, Japan, and Europe.
Mylia taylorii, or Taylor's flapwort, is a species of leafy liverwort.
Racomitrium is a genus of mosses in the family Grimmiaceae established in 1818 by Samuel Elisée Bridel-Brideri. It contains the following species:
Fontinalis antipyretica, greater water-moss, or common water moss, is a species of submerged aquatic moss belonging to the subclass Bryidae. It is found in both still and flowing freshwater in Europe, Asia, Greenland and Africa. In North America it is found in most Canadian provinces with a seaboard and most US states except the most southern.
Grimmiaceae is a family of mosses in the order Grimmiales.
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.
Rhizomnium punctatum, also called dotted thyme-moss, is a small species in the genus Rhizomnium.