Calliergon

Calliergon giganteum

Calliergon ( German Schön Moose ) is a genus of mosses in the order Hypnales.

Features

Calliergon species are usually strong, almost straight up almost feathery beastete, erect or ascending plants that grow individually in sweeping lawns or between other mosses. The Stämmchenblätter are more or less protruding or dachziegelig fitting, hollow, circular or heart-shaped to ovate-lanceolate, the blade tip hood -shaped, rounded, sometimes with small Spitzchen. The leaf margins are entire, and flat. The simple midrib extends to the center of the page or above. Astblätter are smaller and narrower than the Stämmchenblätter. The lamina cells are in the center of the sheet - linear worm- shaped, in the blade tip shorter, wider and more rectangular, thick-walled and pitted at the base of the leaf. The leaf blades cells are usually thin-walled, hyaline, inflated and over the other cells sharply demarcated, rarely thick-walled and less well defined.

The species are dioecious or autoecious ( antheridia and archegonia at different branches on the same plant ). The seta is very long and tortuous, the spore capsule inclined to horizontal and curved, the capsule cap is blunt or pointed cone.

Habitat requirements

The mosses usually grow in wet or moist places in swamps and bogs.

System

The genus Calliergon 6 species are counted worldwide.

In Germany, Austria and Switzerland, the following species are represented:

• Calliergon cordifolium
• Calliergon giganteum
• Calliergon richardsonii

Calliergon stramineum was assigned to the genus Calliergon earlier, but was recently found to be Straminergon stramineum in the monotypic genus Straminergon.