''Anomobryum julaceum'', the slender silver-moss, is a species of

bryophyte The Bryophyta s.l. are a proposed taxonomic division containing three groups of non-vascular land plants (embryophytes): the liverworts, hornworts and mosses. Bryophyta s.s. consists of the mosses only. They are characteristically limited in ...

native to all continents except

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

and

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

. ''A. julaceum'' is found widespread in the temperate regions of the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Its capsules mature beginning in late fall and through the spring. It is most commonly found in wet crevices and on

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...

cliffs. Additional micro-habitats include tussock tundra with seeps and late snow melt areas and on granitic outcrops. In eastern North America it appears to be restricted to acid habitats, in the wet crevices of sandstone cliffs or other seepy niches. Overall, ''A. julaceum'' resembles species of the genus ''

Pohlia ''Pohlia'' is a genus of mosses in the family Mniaceae, found on all continents including Antarctica. Some of its species are native to multiple continents. The center of diversity is the Northern Hemisphere. The genus name of ''Pohlia'' is in h ...

'', and its leaves are similar to those of ''

Bryum argenteum ''Bryum argenteum'', the silvergreen bryum moss or silvery thread moss, is a species of moss in the family Bryaceae. It is one of the most common mosses of urban areas and can be easily recognized without a microscope. Description The species i ...

''; it can only be separated from ''Pohlia'' and ''Bryum'' using a

microscope A microscope () is a laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic means being invisibl ...

. ''Anomobryum julaceum'' can be distinguished from ''Bryum argenteum'' by its strongly julaceous, shiny leaves.

Taxonomic history

A number of names have been used for this species. In 1802 this species was first described as ''Bryum julaceum''. In 1860, the species was transferred to ''Anomobryum filiforme''. In 1935 Andrews combined both names into ''Pohlia filiformis'' (Grout 1935). Lawton (1971), Crum and Anderson (1981), and Ireland (1982) and used the name ''Pohlia filiformis''. Sharp, Crum and Eckel (1994) chose to use the prior name, ''Bryum filiforme'' and Noguchi (1988) used ''Anomobryum filiforme''. Based on the international rules of nomenclature, Crosby et al. (1999) placed all of the above names under the name ''Anomobryum julaceum''.

Technical description

Plants are often described as small, slender, julaceous, yellowish to pale-green, often whitish green in color. They form dense shiny tufts or scattered shoots with reddish stems. The leaves are .5-1.5 mm long with narrow, linear-vermicular thick-walled upper leaf cells. Lower leaf cells are broadly rectangular, thin-walled, and often bulging. ''

Aongstroemia orientalis ''Aongstroemia'' is a genus of mosses belonging to the family Dicranaceae. The genus has cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world ...

'' is a similar looking species to ''A. julaceum'' in having short, julaceous stems and broadly obtuse leaves. The leaves are ovate or oblong-ovate, concave, not decurrent. The apex is sometimes serrated at the appex. The sporophyte has seta can grow up to 2 cm long and has spores that are approximately 10 um. The species also has a double peristome and endostome with appendiculate cilia. Their stems are observed to be orange and forked by innovations and often producing numerous red ovoid brood bodies in the leaf axils.

Range and distribution

''Anomobryum filliforme'' is widespread in the temperate regions of the Northern and Southern hemispheres. In the Pacific Northwest it is known to be found in Alaska, British Columbia, Oregon and California. The Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center reports it from Baker, Clatsop, and Klamath Counties.

Threats

Trail, road, ski trail construction, and quarrying could eliminate local populations by destroying substratum and habitat. Rock climbing can impact populations on cliffs. In the state of California, it is included on the CNPS ''

Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California The ''CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants of California'' is a botanical online database providing information on rare, threatened, and endangered California native plants. It is sponsored by the California Native Plant Society (CNPS). ...

''.

Life history

There are few details known about the life history of the'' Anomobryum filiforme''. Protonema, bud and shoot formation is typical for all moss development. Asexual reproductive structures have not been reported for this species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q15317967, from2=Q4769971 Bryaceae