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[APD] Re: New moss, mystery moss, christmas moss, Pellia etc..,



> Message: 7
> Date: Thu, 4 Sep 2003 14:52:14 -0500
> From: "Jim Seidman" <js4 at seidman_net>
> Subject: [APD] Re: New Moss
> To: <Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com>
> Cc: 'Loh Kwek Leong' <timebomb at pacific_net.sg>
>
> Loh Kwek Leong <timebomb at pacific_net.sg> writes:
> >A few years ago, I played a part in popularizing the name
> >of a still-to-be identified moss, Christmas Moss. Now, in
> >Singapore, there's a new moss in the market. Unlike the
> >Christmas Moss which hangs down, this new moss grows up.
> >I have a picture of it at:
> >
> >http://www.killies.com/ErectMoss01.JPG
>
> It's hard to tell from the picture, but could this be the
same moss
> shown on Mike Norens' site at
> http://hem.bredband.net/micnor/Mysterymoss.htm ?
>
> He found someone who thinks his moss is Leptodictyum
riparium. Since
> Mike collected it in a lake in Stockholm, maybe it should
be called
> Swedish Moss. :-)
>
> - Jim

The moss in Mike Noren's site looks EXACTLY like the
positively IDed Leptodictyim riparium I grow in my tanks.
And although I had suspected this ID a few months back when
somebody posted 'Mystery Moss' I felt it unwise to suggest
it because to ID a moss properly would require a microscope
image. Although the moss may be Leptodictyum riparium it
certainly cannot be called Swedish moss. It is found all
over the place: Europe, US, Japan, Chile etc. I found mine
on an artificial waterfall in a local garden center! I have
a book by Tropica's owner which depicts the moss. Again it
looks exactly like one of the photos in Noren's site. This
moss is more tolerant of higher temps than Fontinalis but
not as much as Java, has much smaller leaves than
Fontinalis, branches and 'roots' (or is that rhizoids?) VERY
infrequently. It is not as good looking as Java or
Christmass mosses, and when it grow too much looks like an
entangled ball of string. Frequent pruning helps.

I cannot agree that Loh KH's 'Erect Moss' looks like
L.riparium. Even without a microscope you can see that it
branches very regularly, in one plane, much like 'Christmas
moss'. The green also has a more attractive shade. I wonder
about its light tolerance? Does the fact that it grows
upward imply a need for high light? And I wonder if it is
closely related to Java and Christmas moss? About these two:
I asked a professional Spanish Bryologist about how to ID
them: Where they both subspecies of V. dubyana  or different
species altogether? So she suggested an expert on Tropical
Pleurocarpous mosses in NY. He wanted to help so I sent him
a couple of sample last January. The result: I think he was
going to tell me that they were the same species, but was
confused when I told him that Christmas moss (as the name
implies :) ) is much more cold tolerant...surviving and
growing in outside winter temps here easily! Different
physiologies, same species ?? Well the Christmas moss is the
true Mystery moss it seems :) but now we have Erect Moss !
Maybe Loh KH can send me a sample so that I can send the
expert a sample, and confuse him a little more! Tropical
Bryology is still in its infancy. We have Pellia as an
example. Just when everyone was getting used to the name,
someone decided it was'nt Pellia after all. Now we will have
to use both names until we get used to the new one. Or maybe
we will just use Pellia as the common name..its easy to
pronounce and common names usually stick. Who knows if
someone else will put Pellia in a new genus again, and
again... It has happened.

regards

Stephan
Malta


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