Juniper Moss

Reference: http://www.perspective.com/nature/plantae/polytrichum.html

* Identification- 

    The authority who described the species is Joannis Hedwig in "Species Muscorum Frondosorum" in        the year 1801. 

For additional information on identifying mosses, click HERE!

*  Geography-

Polytrichum   juniperinum

*I was unable to locate good specimens of this species on my own, but it should exist at Sam's Farm because juniperinum does occur locally. 

* Natural History- 

    "Plants long, erect from subterranean shoots, simple, dichotomous above:  leaves spreading open when moistened, erect when dry, glaucous or dirty green, long linear-lanceolate from the enlarged sheathing base, entire, inflexed on the borders; costa excurrent into a short reddish brown serrulate awn; perichaetial and perigonial leaves membranaceous on the borders; lamellae papillose on the margins:  capsule entirely covered by the calyptra, tetragonal-prismatic, solid, reddish orange, becoming brown when old; lid planeoconvex at base, apiculate, reddish" (Lesquereux, 265).

    "Plants gregarious, in thin sods to almost solitary, glaucous-green; stems 2-10cm long, nearly always unbranched, 3-angled below, 5-angled above; rhizoidous only at base; leaves spreading when moist, even when dry, lanceolate from a sheathing base, 8-10mm long, the limb about 1mm wide; apex aristate, red, serrate; margin entire, widely incurved above the sheath; costa excurrent, strongly toothed on back above lamellae 35-48, finely crenulated by projecting cells, 4-8 cells high; in cross section the marginal cells each conical, very thick-walled specially on the outer wall, smooth; cells of the leaf sheath long-rectangular, at the margin narrower and colorless; cells of the unistratose border at 3/4 up in distinct rows, squarish.  Dioecious; male plants intermingled with female ones, more slender, with shorter leaves; male bracts with enlarged leaf sheaths with triangular to cuspidate tip representing the limb; perichaetial leaves longer than the foliage leaves, up to 18mm, with longer arista, their margins white and membranous; calyptra completely covering the capsule, whitish, or brownish only at tip; seta 2-11.5cm long, thick, slightly twisted to the right, with cylindrical hollow, bright red; capsule erect to horizontal, sharply 4-angled, yellow to green to brown; urn oblong, about 2.5mm thick, 3-5.5mm long, with a constriction above the hypophymus" (Grout, 126).

Click HERE to link to a helpful web site featuring a glossary of botanical terms.

* How to Encounter-

    "On soil or humus (frequently overlying rock), sometimes on stumps, characteristic of banks or sides of trails in rather dry, open woods or pastures, only rarely in moist or wet woods:  very common and widespread.   Greenland to Alaska, south to Georgia, Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Arizona, and California; Mexico and the Greater Antilles to Tierra del Fuego; throughout Europe; across northern and central Asia; Australia and New Zealand.  (Reported from Macaronesia, northern Africa, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and Antarctica.)" (Crum, 1272).

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