Philonotis fontana
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Philonotis fontana with Perichaetia . |
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| ( Hedw. ) Brid. |
Philonotis fontana , the common spring moss, is a form-rich, dioecious deciduous moss, which occurs mainly in damp, lime-poor locations. In recent times, due to the increasing environmental pollution, spore capsules are only rarely formed. Most of the time, the vegetative propagation through bud-shaped brood bodies comes to the fore. The moss is therefore suitable as a pointer for less polluted water. A fine, water-repellent wax coating on the plants makes the moss difficult to wet. The generic name comes from the Greek philos (friend) and notia (moisture).
Identifying features
Philonotis fontana forms small to extensive cushions and are strikingly yellow-green to bluish-green in color. The difficult-to-wet plants are usually around 8 cm tall. However, the height of growth can vary between 1 cm and 20 cm. The male plants are often branched like trees in the upper part. Not infrequently, bud-shaped brood bodies ( perichaetia ) are formed there. These stand between short, horizontal side branches at the top of the trunks. The slightly one-sided, upright, ovate lanceolate leaves run from a broad base quickly into a sharp, serrated tip. The teeth on the leaf margin are always paired. The leaves, which are usually wrinkled at the base, are up to 2 mm long and 1 mm wide. The leaf vein usually reaches the tip of the leaf and is around 100 to 130 µm wide at the base. The characteristic oblong-rectangular lamina cells have a large nipple (nipple-like) at their lower end (towards the leaf base). They are between 30 and 65 µm long and 6 to 15 µm wide. The almost spherical, horizontal to inclined spore capsules stand on a reddish seta up to 7 cm long. However, they have only rarely been trained in recent times. Most of the time, the vegetative propagation through bud-shaped brood bodies comes to the fore.
There is a particular risk of confusion with the calcareous Philonotis calcarea , which, however, has no narrowed lamina cells in the leaf tip, does not form wrinkled stem leaves and whose leaves are usually gradually narrowed.
Distribution and location requirements
Philonotis fontana inhabits light-rich, lime and nutrient-poor, mostly cold spring areas. It occurs in flat and intermediate bogs with little base, on swell-seeped soil and on overflowing spring rocks. Frequent accompanying mosses are Dicranella palustris , Pellia epiphylla , Scapania undulata or, in bogs, also Drepanocladus revolvens and Aulacomnium palustre . The moss mainly has a circumbo-real distribution area. While it is quite common in northern Europe and Asia, it occurs in the southern areas only in the Alps up to the subnival level. In north and central Germany it is quite rare outside of the mountains. It is also found in parts of the mountains of North and East Africa and North America.
literature
- Wolfgang Frey , Jan-Peter Frahm , Eberhard Fischer, Wolfram Lobin : The moss and fern plants of Europe (= small cryptogam flora. Vol. 4). Gustav Fischer, Stuttgart et al. 1995, ISBN 3-437-30756-8 .
- Hans Martin Jahns : Ferns, mosses, lichens central, northern and Western Europe (= BLV determination book. 28). 2nd, revised edition. BLV, Munich et al. 1981, ISBN 3-405-11893-X .
- Martin Nebel, Georg Philippi (ed.): The mosses of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 2: Special part, (Bryophytina II, Schistostegales to Hypnobryales). Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3530-2 .
- Volkmar Wirth , Ruprecht Düll : Color Atlas of Lichen and Moss. Ulmer, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3517-5 .
