Splachnum sphaericum

Splachnum sphaericum

Splachnum sphaericum ( German Kugelfrüchtiges screen Moss ) is a moss species from the family Splachnaceae. Synonyms are ovatum Hedw among other Splachnum. and Splachnum pedunculatum Lindb.

Features

Splachnum sphaericum grows in soft, bright green lawn. The plants are simple or branched and up to 3 inches high. The upper blades are arranged rosette -shaped and much larger than the bottom, remote stationary. They are broadly ovate or obovate with a short sharp point. The leaf margins are flat, entire bottom and usually serrated above weak. The sheet rib ends at or slightly below the blade tip. The lamina cells are thin-walled, hexagonal, rhomboid and up to about 20 to 50 microns wide, the sheet edges somewhat narrower.

The species is dioecious or autoecious ( antheridia and archegonia at different branches on the same plant ). The thin Seta is below reddish, yellowish above, tortuous and 1 to 14 centimeters long, the theca ( urn, part of the spore capsule containing the spores) short oval to almost cylindrical, the apophysis (capsule neck) is initially green, blackish later, ovoid to globose and usually slightly wider than the theca. The capsule cap is tapered and curved bespitzt short. Peristome are yellow to orange and twisted together. The smooth spores have a size 7-12 microns. Sporophytes are usually abundant, the spore maturation period is from spring to autumn.

Habitat requirements

The species prefers based on old, decomposed cow dung, sometimes sheep or goat dung to constantly wet, light- rich areas in bogs, swamps, source areas or sparse forest sites. More rarely it grows well in moist to wet places on humus or rotten wood. The stocks are usually small areas and short-lived.

Dissemination

Worldwide, there are deposits in North America, Northeast, East and Central Asia and in Europe. In northern Europe, the moss is widely used, the northernmost findings are in Iceland and northern Scandinavia. In Central Europe it has its main distribution in the ( upper) montane to alpine altitudes of the Alps, here it comes scattered before. In the other areas of Central Europe only a few occurrences are known in the low mountain ranges.

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