''Callicladium imponens'', also known as brocade moss, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

native to North America. It is usually golden to yellow-green coloured, sometimes brownish. Its stems are medium to large sized usually reaching 3–10 cm. Unlike some other moss species, ''C. imponens'' lacks a hyalodermis but possesses a weak central strand.

Description

The stem

leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...

of ''C. imponens'' are falcate-secund, triangular-ovate to oblong-lanceolate in shape, and gradually taper towards the apex. They measure approximately 1.8 to 2 mm in length and 0.6 to 0.8 mm in width. The base of the leaves is somewhat decurrent without auricles. The leaf margins are either flat or weakly recurved at the base, exhibiting serrulations towards the distal end or rarely being nearly entire. The acumen is slender. ''C. imponens'' is

dioicous Dioicy () is a sexual system where archegonia and antheridia are produced on separate gametophytes. It is one of the two main sexual systems in bryophytes. Both dioicous () and monoicous gametophytes produce gametes in gametangia by mitosis rathe ...

, meaining male and female reproductive structures are produced on separate plants. ''C. imponens'' is characterized by its pigmented and heterogeneous alar cells, reddish stems, long-toothed foliose pseudoparaphyllia, and nearly erect cylindric capsules. The branches of this moss species typically emerge in a single horizontal plane.

Distribution

The capsules of ''C. imponens'' mature from July to September. ''C. imponens'' can be found growing on decaying logs, rocks, and soil at various different elevations. Its distribution spans across

Greenland Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...

and several Canadian provinces such as

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

, Newfoundland and Labrador,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, Ontario, and

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

. It can be found throughout most of the Eastern United States. Additionally, ''C. imponens'' is also found in Europe.

References

Hypnales Bryophyta of North America {{hypnales-stub