Alpine Widertonmoos
| Alpine Widertonmoos | ||||||||||||
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Alpine Widertonmoos ( Polytrichastrum alpinum ) |
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| Polytrichastrum alpinum | ||||||||||||
| ( Hedw. ) GLSm. |
The Alpine Widertonmoos ( Polytrichastrum alpinum ) is a deciduous moss species from the Polytrichaceae family . Synonyms are Pogonatum alpinum (Hedw.) Röhl. or Polytrichastrum alpinum (Hedw.) GL Smith.
features
This type of moss forms loose, bluish green or dirty green to brownish lawns that can reach heights of 15 or even 20 centimeters. The ascending to upright stems are often tufted at the top in branches of the same height. In the lower part of the stems the leaves are small and scale-shaped. The leaves in the upper stem section are larger, 7 to 10 millimeters long. The broad, oval, yellowish to brownish sheath on the leaf base suddenly changes into the linear-lanceolate and awl-shaped, pointed part of the blade. The leaf sheath takes up about a quarter to less than a third of the entire leaf length. The leaf margins of the spade part are sharply toothed and erect with multi-cell saw teeth, the spreader part is therefore hollow and runny. When damp, the leaves are protruding or bent back, lying dry. The leaf vein is sawn in the upper part on the back and emerges as a short spike from the tip of the leaf.
The leaf part of the leaves is covered with numerous lamellae (up to 40), these are 5 to 9 cells high in the middle of the leaf. In the lamellar cross-section, the end cell is larger, egg-shaped and papillary. The leaf cells are square to transversely rectangular in the upper part of the leaf, hyaline and elongated rectangular in the vaginal part.
The moss is diocesan and is fruiting quite often. Spore ripening is in summer. The capsule on the 3 to 5 centimeter long, below red and above yellowish seta is somewhat curved and inclined, elliptical-cylindrical, smooth and round, olive-colored and later dark brown to blackish. It has a more or less distinct neck with numerous large, single-celled stomata. The capsule lid is short-conical and obliquely beaked, the felty kalyptra is bell-shaped, light brown and shorter than the capsule. Spores are finely papilose and 14 to 20 µm in size.
Possible confusion
The Alpine Widertonmoos is a variety of forms. It can be distinguished from other Polytrichastrum species by the round capsules and the papillary lamellar end cells. It can also be confused with Pogonatum urnigerum , which also has round capsules and papillary end cells . In contrast to this, the spore capsules of the Alpine Red- tone moss have large, single-cell stomata at the bottom, the outer wall of the capsule has smooth cells (in Pogonatum urnigerum mamillous), the leaf sheath is longer (in Pogonatum urnigerum only up to 22 percent of the leaf length) and the leaf blade is narrower and awl- shaped ( lanceolate in Pogonatum urnigerum ).
Ecology and diffusion
The moss grows in shady to light-rich, fresh to moist, nutrient-poor, lime and base-poor locations in mountain-coniferous forests, on rocky outcrops and in rocky crevices, on rock, on stony, gravelly soils, in block heaps and in snow valleys above the tree line. In Central Europe it is particularly common in the montane to alpine layers of the silicate mountains in the Alps.
The worldwide distribution is bipolar arctic-alpine. In Europe it is widespread in the arctic and boreal regions, to the south of which it is restricted to montane to alpine areas. Outside of Europe, it occurs in large parts of Asia, Africa and America as well as in Australia, New Zealand and Antarctica.
literature
- Ruprecht Düll , Barbara Düll-Wunder: Determine mosses easily and reliably. An illustrated excursion guide to the types of Germany and neighboring countries. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2008, ISBN 978-3-494-01427-2 .
- Jan-Peter Frahm , Wolfgang Frey : Moosflora (= UTB . 1250). 4th, revised and expanded edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8252-1250-5 .
- Martin Nebel, Georg Philippi (ed.): The mosses of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 1: General part, special part (Bryophytina I, Andreaeales to Funariales). Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3527-2 .
