Hypnodendron comosum
| Hypnodendron comosum | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Phylum: | Bryophyta |
| Class: | Bryopsida |
| Subclass: | Bryidea |
| Order: | Hypnodendrales |
| Family: | Hypnodendraceae |
| Genus: | Hypnodendron |
| Species: | H. comosum |
| Binomial name | |
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Hypnodendron comosum |
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| Varieties | |
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Hypnodendron comosum var. comosum |
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Hypnodendron comosum var. comosum
Hypnodendron comosum var. sieberi
Hypnodendron comosum, commonly known as palm moss or palm tree moss, is a ground moss which can be divided into two varieties: Hypnodendron comosum var. comosum and Hypnodendron comosum var. sieberi. Both Hypnodendron varieties most commonly grow in damp locations in the temperate and tropical rainforests of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania in southern Australia and in New Zealand.
This "miniature forest" dendroid species is viewed by David Meagher and Bruce Fuhrer in their publication A Field Guide to the Mosses and Allied Plants of Southern Australia as one of the most beautiful and unique species of mosses in the southern region of Australia. While both varieties are extremely similar, they are easily identified by their elevation above other moss and lichen species within their ecosystem. Positioned atop an erect stem, the branches form an umbrella shape, the source of the common name "palm tree moss".
The appearance for both varieties is similar with both sharing many of the same features. Resembling the trunk of the tree, the stems are elongated and narrow growing between 2–9 cm in length. They are black or brown in colour and covered in trichome hairs and small leaves. The stem reaches up to a green umbrella shaped arrangement of fronds at the top. The horizontally spreading fronds are shaped umbellate to pinnate and grow up to 5 cm in diameter. Each spreading frond forms many small branches each reaching 2–5 mm in length. This gives the umbrella shape a clumpy, palm-like look. The branch leaves are triangular-ovate and yellow-green in colour. The costa is green or brown and margins are serrate toward the tip. The sporophyte arises from the centre of the female gametophyte and forms a long seta on which a capsule is borne. H. comosum bares anywhere between 4–12 sporophytes. The seta is long and thin and reaches between 2–4 cm in length. The capsule is orange or brown in colour and reaches around 2–5 mm in length. They are cylindrical in shape. The operculum is the cap or covering to the spores, and once this falls off, the spores are passively dispersed via the peristome. While both species are similar, Hypnodendron comosum var. comosum is unique in that it is the smaller, more compact of the two. Most commonly located in Tasmania, its branches are compactly arranged, making this variety seem clumped and tightly packed. Located on mainland Australia, Hypnodendron comosum var. siberi is taller in form and the branches are much more loosely arranged.
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Wikipedia