Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus
| Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus | |
|---|---|
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Bryophyta |
| Class: | Bryidae |
| Order: | Hypnales |
| Family: | Hylocomiaceae |
| Genus: | Rhytidiadelphus |
| Species: | R. squarrosus |
| Binomial name | |
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Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus (Hedw.) Warnst. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Hypnum squarrosum Hedw. |
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Hypnum squarrosum Hedw.
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus is a species of moss known as springy turf-moss in the United Kingdom, and square goose neck moss in the United States. It is widespread in Eurasia and North America, and has been introduced to the Southern Hemisphere. It has broad ecological tolerances, and is usually found in man-made habitats such as lawns and golf courses. It is most closely related to R. subpinnatus, with which it is often confused.
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus grows as an extensive mat of branching stems, up to 15 centimetres (6 in) tall, sheathed in leaves that are 2–2.5 mm (0.08–0.10 in) long and bend sharply back at a right angle, and thus spread outwards from the stem. The leaf bases are broad and include a pair of short nerves. The plant rarely produces capsules, so most of the species' reproduction is asexual.
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus has a circumpolar distribution in the Northern Hemisphere, being found across much of Eurasia, and parts of North America, including British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Newfoundland and Labrador and Greenland.
It has also been introduced to northeastern North America,Tasmania and New Zealand, where it is now an invasive species. The first specimen to be collected in the Southern Hemisphere was taken in 1974 in Dundas Creek, western Tasmania, but the first published record came the following year, from a golf course in Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island.
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