Ball-fruited umbrella moss
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Globular umbrella moss ( Splachnum sphaericum ) |
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| Splachnum sphaericum | ||||||||||||
| Hedw. |
The globe-fruited shield moss ( Splachnum sphaericum ) is a deciduous moss species from the Splachnaceae family . Synonyms include Splachnum ovatum Hedw. and Splachnum pedunculatum Lindb.
features
Splachnum sphaericum grows in soft, light green lawns. The plants are simple or branched and up to 3 centimeters high. The upper leaves are arranged in a rosette and are much larger than the lower, more distant leaves. They are broadly ovate or obovate with a short, sharp tip. The leaf margins are flat, with entire margins below and mostly weakly serrated above. The leaf vein ends in or slightly below the leaf tip. The lamina cells are thin-walled, hexagonal to rhomboid and about 20 to 50 micrometers wide, somewhat narrower at the leaf margins.
The species is dioecious or autocratic ( antheridia and archegonia on different branches on the same plant). The thin seta is reddish at the bottom, yellowish at the top, tortuous and 1 to 14 centimeters long, the theca (urn, part of the spore capsule that contains the spores) is short oval to almost cylindrical, the apophysis (capsule neck) is initially green, later black-red, ovoid to spherical and usually somewhat wider than the theca. The capsule lid is convex and briefly pointed. Peristomal teeth are yellow to orange and connected in pairs. The smooth spores are 7 to 12 micrometers in size. Sporophytes are usually abundant, with spore ripening from spring to autumn.
Location requirements
The species prefers to settle on old, decomposed cattle manure, sometimes on sheep or goat dung in constantly wet, light-rich places in moors, swamps, headwaters or open forest locations. More rarely, it also grows in moist to wet places on humus or rotten wood. The stocks are mostly small and short-lived.
distribution
Worldwide there are occurrences in North America, Northeast, East and Central Asia as well as in Europe. The moss is widespread in northern Europe, the northernmost finds are in Iceland and northern Scandinavia. In Central Europe it has its main distribution in the (upper) montane to alpine heights of the Alps, here it occurs scattered. In the remaining areas of Central Europe, only a few occurrences are known in the low mountain ranges.
literature
- Jan-Peter Frahm , Wolfgang Frey : Moosflora (= UTB . 1250). 4th, revised and expanded edition. Ulmer, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-8252-1250-5 , p. 357.
- 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 .
