Wednesday 10 April 2019

Green curls

Cord moss or Funaria hygrometrica is one of the most common mosses in The Netherlands, especially in severely disturbed and nutrient-rich places such as vacant lots, semi-paved roads etc. A favorite habitat is burning places. A short time after the occurrence of a burn spot, Funaria hygrometrica is almost always present. The spread with spores via the air is extremely effective! In The Netherlands there are few large areas where there is so little disruption that there is no suitable place for Funaria hygrometrica, even if only temporarily.


The 'gooseneck-shaped curvature' of the style of the spore capsule makes this virtually always capsuling type unmistakable. Vegetative rosettes can be recognized by the wide spatula-shaped leaves with large leaf cells, but confusion remains possible with Common Bladder moss or Physcomitrium pyriforme. Cord moss can be distinguished by the asymmetrically positioned spore caps.

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