Pseudoscleropodium
Pseudoscleropodium | |
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Pseudoscleropodium purum | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Division: | Bryophyta |
Class: | Bryopsida |
Subclass: | Bryidae |
Order: | Hypnales |
Family: | Brachytheciaceae |
Genus: | Pseudoscleropodium (Limpr.) M. Fleisch. |
Species: | P. purum
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Binomial name | |
Pseudoscleropodium purum (
Broth. | |
Synonyms | |
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Pseudoscleropodium purum, or neat feather-moss, is a species of moss and the sole representative of the genus Pseudoscleropodium.
Description
The species is described as having a
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
Habitat
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
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]
Spread
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:
- “...Dickson (1967) reported P. purum being used on St. Helena to pack nursery stock for shipment to Tristan da Cunha, and Allen and Crosby (1987) stated that labels for specimens of [Pseudoscleropodium] from Argentina included the information that the moss had been used as packing material, itself perhaps received in shipments sent to Argentina from Europe.”[4]
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]
Bioremediation
The species is a known to
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Pseudoscleropodium purum". Flora of North America. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
- ^ a b Fleisch, M. "Pseudoscleropodium purum (Hedw.)". Introduction to Bryophytes. Retrieved 2019-10-08.
- ^ a b Blockeel, Tom. Pseudoscleropodium purum (PDF). p. 753.
- ^ a b c Miller, N. G., & Trigoboff, N. (2001). A European Feather Moss, Pseudoscleropodium Purum, Naturalized Widely in New York State in Cemeteries. The Bryologist, 104(1), 98-103. doi:10.1639/0007-2745(2001)104[0098:aefmpp]2.0.co;2
- ISBN 3-8001-3530-2.
- ISBN 978-3-443-01063-8.