Moss Specimen

Date2007

Object numberHF.2012.49.30

DescriptionA small, dark green sample of Dicranum flagellare Hedw. moss with short stems. Stems have very fine leaves which gives the sample a fur-like texture. Stems are brown towards the base. Several longer shoots extend beyond the stems along the top-right edge. Several pieces of pale, grey-green organic matter are present among the stems. The reverse appears to be wood fragment and is a light brown colour with uneven texture.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Bryophyta
Class: Bryopsida
Order: Dicranales
Family: Dicranaceae
Genus: Dicranum
Species: Dicranum flagellare Hedw.

Narrative

Collected September 18, 2007 by Rosemary Curley and Glen Kelly near the head of Basin Head, Kings County, PEI (46°23'5.21"N, 62°7'17.8W. Datum WGS84). Collected growing in mixed woodland.

Dicranum flagellare Hedw. moss grows in dense tufts with 2-6 branches, 5cm in height. Each branch has short, narrow, ovate leaves that are 3.5-4mm long. Stems are spearhead-shaped and taper towards tip. Stems are thickly covered in brown coloured, wooly rhizoids. It reproduces asexually when the axils of upper leaves sprout brood-branches and break off from parent plants.

Dicranum flagellare Hedw. is commonly found growing on decaying logs within woodland settings, and is rarely found growing in hummus or soil over rock. Geographically it can be found throughout North America, Europe and Asia. It is common throughout the three Maritime provinces.

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