''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 1801
{{Bryophyte-stub