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Splachnum
Splachnum, also known as dung moss or petticoat moss, is a genus of moss that is well known for its entomophily. It commonly grows on patches of dung or decomposing animal matter. Etymology The name ''Splachnum'' comes from the Ancient Greek word ''splachnos'', meaning guts or entrails. This refers to appearance of the top of the plant's dried sporophyte - it is often red and wrinkled. Description This genus is known for its unique sporophyte structure. Sporophytes are brightly coloured and produce an odour similar to dung meant to attract insects. This sort of chemical mimicry of decomposing matter is unique in ''Splachnum'' and closely related genera. Evolution and taxonomy Because ''Splachnum'' grows in such specific conditions, it is used as a model species for understanding the evolutionary mechanisms necessary for co-existing in patchy habitats. Species * '' Splachnum sphaericum'' * ''Splachnum rubrum'' * ''Splachnum luteum'' * ''Splachnum ampullaceum'' * '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Splachnum Austriacum
Splachnum, also known as dung moss or petticoat moss, is a genus of moss that is well known for its entomophily. It commonly grows on patches of dung or decomposing animal matter. Etymology The name ''Splachnum'' comes from the Ancient Greek word ''splachnos'', meaning guts or entrails. This refers to appearance of the top of the plant's dried sporophyte - it is often red and wrinkled. Description This genus is known for its unique sporophyte structure. Sporophytes are brightly coloured and produce an odour similar to dung meant to attract insects. This sort of chemical mimicry of decomposing matter is unique in ''Splachnum'' and closely related genera. Evolution and taxonomy Because ''Splachnum'' grows in such specific conditions, it is used as a model species for understanding the evolutionary mechanisms necessary for co-existing in patchy habitats. Species * ''Splachnum sphaericum'' * '' Splachnum rubrum'' * '' Splachnum luteum'' * '' Splachnum ampullaceum'' * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Splachnum Rubrum
''Splachnum rubrum'' (also known as red dung moss, brilliant red dung moss or red parasol moss), is a species of moss in the ''Splachnum'' genus which is found in the Northern Hemisphere. Like other species in the ''Splachnum'' genus, it is known for growing on animal waste and being entomophilous. Although very rare, its bright red-purple sporangia makes its sporophyte stage stand out well when seenin the wild. Description The plant forms tufts of varying density on herbivore dung. The gametophyte is green to yellow-green, with leaves that accumulate at the apex of the stem, which is usually between 1.5 and 3.0 cm long. The leaves are 5–7.5 mm long and obovate or acuminated, with a costa disappearing in the apical lamina. The leaf margins are coarsely toothed. The sporophyte is the most conspicuous part of the plant and due to its shape and colors mistaken for an angiosperm flower. The capsule has an orange-brown capsule with a bright magenta hypophysis, sh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Splachnum Sphaericum
''Splachnum sphaericum'', also known as pinkstink dung moss, is a species of 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 .... This species occurs in North America. It also occurs in upland Britain, where it is known as round-fruited collar-moss and in north temperate and boreal regions of Europe. Its habitat is bog and wet heathland where it grows on herbivore dung. This and other ''Splachnum'' species are entomophilous. The sporophytes, which are generally coloured red or black, produce an odour of carrion that is attractive to flies and the spores are dispersed by flies to fresh dung.J. R. Vaizey (1890) On the Morphology of the Sporophyte of ''Splachnum luteum''. Annals of Botany 1, 1-8. References Splachnales Bryophyta of North America Plants described in 180 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Moss Genera
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 hornworts. Mosses typically form dense green clumps or mats, often in damp or shady locations. The individual plants are usually composed of simple leaves that are generally only one cell thick, attached to a stem that may be branched or unbranched and has only a limited role in conducting water and nutrients. Although some species have conducting tissues, these are generally poorly developed and structurally different from similar tissue found in vascular plants. Mosses do not have seeds and after fertilisation develop sporophytes with unbranched stalks topped with single capsules containing spores. They are typically tall, though some species are much larger. ''Dawsonia'', the tallest moss in the world, can grow to in height. There are a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
