Silver moss
Silver moss | ||||||||||||
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![]() Silver moss ( Bryum argenteum ) |
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Systematics | ||||||||||||
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Scientific name | ||||||||||||
Bryum argenteum | ||||||||||||
Hedw. |
The silver moss ( Bryum argenteum ), also known as silver pear moss, is one of the most common mosses in city centers and one of the few mosses of the genus Bryum that can be seen immediately without a microscope .
Identifying features
The silver moss is, at least when dry, silvery-green or whitish-green in color. This is because the broad, egg-shaped individual leaves do not form any chlorophyll at the tip . The rib ends above the middle of the leaf (see illustration). The stems are kitten-shaped or have flaky leaves, so that the individual branches look like little worms. In moist, undisturbed locations, the branches can also be leafed somewhat more horizontally. The upper cells of the leaf surface (lamina cells) are elongated rhombic to elongated rhombic shape. The capsule of the sporophyte is short cylindrical, appears broader at the base and is dark red to black in color.
Capsule of the sporogon , magnification about 30 ×
Silbermoos in a pavement crack community with prostrate fattening herb and knotweed
Occurrence
The cosmopolitan silver moss is a nitrogen-loving species. It is considered to be a cultural follower of humans, as it grows preferentially on rock, in gaps in cobblestones and on asphalt at roadsides. The original habitat was probably exclusively bird rocks. Otherwise it can also be found on nitrophilic soils near the settlement areas. The Silbermoos is particularly common in city centers or in industrial areas. It grows both in species-specific lawns and in between other mosses.
Socialization
The silver moss is a characteristic of the fattening herb step society (also pavement crack society; Bryo-Saginetum procumbentis). It is the typical step society of paved squares and paths that can withstand particular mechanical loads. The moss thrives in the pavement cracks protected from direct impact. It occurs there together with the rosette-like growing fattening herb and the annual bluegrass ( Poa annua ). In the warmer areas of the central inner cities, a wide variety of warmth-loving grasses such as the little love grass ( Eragrostis minor ) often join them .
particularities
This species is particularly adapted to drought. When the skin becomes dehydrated, the outer cells die and form an insulating layer. These air-filled cells break the light and give the plant its silvery appearance in dry locations.