Moss Sub Forum

[D.C._United_Caps_Fan]

Hey everyone. I was going through the plants section, and I noticed there is no sub forum on Mosses. I think that plant family is large enough to have its own sub forum, or at least a mention in the sub forum title for "floating plants". Maybe if you do not want to create a new sub forum for mosses, you could change the title of the floating plants section to "floating plants & Mosses" ? Just a thought.

[Drumachine09]

I would be all for it. I don't do a whole lot of plant work, but I know Algenco loves his mosses.

[D.C._United_Caps_Fan]

Perhaps I should have named this thread Mosses/ Rhizoids sub forum. Maybe a mod could change that for me?

I have found there is a fair amount of "confusion" about Java Moss, especially its Taxonomy. Some say this plant belongs to the genus Vesicularia (V. Dubyana for Java Moss), however in more recent research seem to be classifying this plant as belonging to the genus Taxiphyllum (T. Barbieri is the name for Java Moss in this genus).

Here is the Taxonomic structure / order for each genus to which Java Moss is said to belong:

Vesicularia:

Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
Kingdom: Plantae Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae Cavalier-Smith, 1981 - Green Plants
Phylum: Bryophyta A. Braun in Ascherson, 1860 - Mosses
Subphylum: Musci (Linnaeus, 1753) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
Infraphylum: Bryatae Cavalier-Smith, 1998
Class: Bryopsida - Mosses
Subclass: Bryidae
Superorder: Diplolepideae
Order: Hypnobryales
Family: Hypnaceae
Genus: Vesicularia (J. K. A. Müller) J. K. A. Müller, Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 23: 330. 1896. - Vesicularia Moss
Specific epithet: dubyana Brotherus, 1908
Botanical name: Vesicularia dubyana Brotherus, 1908

Taxiphyllum:

Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
Kingdom: Plantae Haeckel, 1866 - Plants
Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae Cavalier-Smith, 1981 - Green Plants
Phylum: Bryophyta A. Braun in Ascherson, 1860 - Mosses
Subphylum: Musci (Linnaeus, 1753) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
Infraphylum: Bryatae Cavalier-Smith, 1998
Class: Bryopsida - Mosses
Subclass: Bryidae
Superorder: Diplolepideae
Order: Hypnobryales
Family: Hypnaceae
Genus: Taxiphyllum - Taxiphyllum Moss
Specific epithet: barbieri Iwatsuki, 1982
Botanical name: Taxiphyllum barbieri Iwatsuki, 1982


So you can see there still exists some confusion. With some further digging into each genus, it is also fairly clear that its designation into the Taxiphyllum genus is far more recent, and has gotten far more recent attention than Vesiculari. It also does appear that its classification into the Taxiphyllum genus is the correct one. Many of the plants contained in this genus are very similar to Java Moss, and share very similar characteristics in growth, structure, means of attachment, nutrient absorption...etc.

Java Moss is also in fact a "rhizoid", but not a rhizome. A Rhizome functions as a main stem of a plant usually beneath the surface of the ground, or lying prostrate on the soil surface, and has both roots and growth tips sprouting from it. Think of your common Iris. Another good example is Ginger.

A Rhizoid, is a structure that plants / fungus typically use to attach themselves as a means of anchoring to an object. In some plants, the rhizoid can also function as a means for absorption, much like a "root". However, in java moss, it is only used as a means of anchoring the plant. Rhizoids also appear as "root hairs" on other plants.

It appears that a significant number of "mosses" are in fact rhizoids as well.
The reason Im thinking that possibly floating plants could be mixed with Mosses/ Rhizoids, is that some floaters are members of the Liverwort genus, and also have Rhizoids. Riccia Fluitans (Crystalwort) is an example of one of these floaters that belongs to the liverwort Genus. It can sometimes attach itself to objects via Rhizoids.

Anyway, So you can see why I think that maybe there should be a seperate sub forum for Mosses/ Rhizoids. I just did not feel like making any sort of real case for it last night, because I was tired. LOL!

What does everyone think?

[Lady Hobbs]

I agree and wrote in my stickie in the Floaters.......Mosses too to help point it out. Will have William add it so it will read........Floaters/Mosses


Nice job DC

[D.C._United_Caps_Fan]

Sounds good to me!

I suppose my posting above belongs over in that forum as well. Maybe it can be stickied over there in a "moss" section, or part of a "moss informational" thread?

Just thinking this posting might just be "lost" over here. Not the whole thread, just the one posting.