The year of moss: day 3

Yesterday’s moss got me wondering what other species Aotearoa shares with Antarctica. Antarctica has about 100 species of mosses, and there are actually quite a few of those that also occur here. One of those shared species is Ceratodon purpureus. C. purpureus is very common in roadside verges and other disturbed habitats, including naturally disturbed habitats such as riverbeds. This species has pigments that protect it from sun exposure in these open habitats, and its colour can vary from green to orange-y, depending on the level of these pigments. C. purpureus is fairly distinctive when sporophytes are present, as they have a distinctive red seta (that’s the ‘stem’ of the sporophyte), and capsule shape. However, when sporophytes are not present, you’ll probably need a microscope to recognise this species. Another moss that’s not very cute, but gets a few extra points for hardiness.
Cuteness: 3/10
Distinctiveness: 8/10
LMR: 7/10
See here for an old observation of mine of this species, featuring me slowly learning to ID mosses in the ID history :) https://inaturalist.nz/observations/91877717

Posted on October 19, 2024 04:01 AM by fuligogirl