Moss Specimen

Date2007

DimensionsOther (.1): 0.5 x 1.5 x 3.2 cm, (3/16 x 9/16 x 1 1/4 in.,) Other (.2): 1.3 x 2.3 x 3.5 cm (1/2 x 7/8 x 1 3/8 in.) Other (.3): 0.3 x 1.4 x 3.5 cm (1/8 x 9/16 x 1 3/8 in.) Other (.4): 0.5 x 1.5 x 3.7 cm (3/16 x 9/16 x 1 7/16 in.) Other (.5): 0.5 x 1.2 x 2.1 cm (3/16 x 1/2 x 13/16 in.)

Object numberHF.2012.49.19.1-.5

DescriptionFive small pieces of plant matter (wood?) each with a small sample of Tetraphis pellucida Hedw. plus Herzogiella turfacea [Lindb.] Iwats moss present on the outer edges. The moss has very small, short branches with leaves along the length. The colour of the moss ranges from red-brown, dark-green, to light-green. The wood pieces are porous with fragmented ends. Each is rectangular in shape.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Bryophyta
Class: Bryopsida
Order: Tetraphidales
Family: Tetraphidaceae
Genus: Tetrapis
Species: Tetraphis pellucida Hedw.

Narrative

Collected August 7, 2007, by Rosemary Curley in Richmond, Prince County, PEI (46°29'21.78"N, 64°0'15.54"W, Datum: NAD83). Collected in a rich, wet hardwood forest from a rotten stump, side and top.

Tetraphis pellucida Hedw. grows in small clumps with erect capsules with four large teeth, or a specialized cup of little green leaves, 1-2mm in length, located at the tip of the plant. It has the ability to reproduce asexually as each gemma will grown into a new plant. Each leaf has a single costa. Older plants are often brownish-red in colour. It grows in short, 1.5 cm high tufts.

It is considered a successful exploiter of bare wood and will grow densely on rotten stumps, particularly in coniferous wood, and relies on a reasonable level of disturbance in dead wood substrate for increased cultivation. Tetraphis pellucida can also be found in acidic substrates, peaty banks, and on living trees. Geographically it is found throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Locally it is found throughout all three Maritime provinces.

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