(Helodium blandowii)
Conservation • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
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Description |
Blandow’s helodium moss is a common and widespread, large, erect, feather moss. It occurs throughout the Northern Hemisphere (Holarctic) in Europe, Asia, and North America. In the United States, it occurs in the east from Maine to New Jersey, west to Minnesota and Iowa, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to northern Georgia. In the west, it occurs from Washington and Oregon, east to western Montana, south along the Rocky Mountains to Colorado, and in the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. It also occurs in Canada across the south and in the west north to Alaska. Blandow’s helodium moss is found in open and wooded, moderately rich fens, in alkaline rich (calcareous) fens, at the edges of forested swamps, at the bases of trees in peat bogs, and in sand bars in creeks. It grows in soil that is permanently or seasonally saturated, flooded, or ponded for a long enough period to create oxygen-free (anaerobic) conditions. It often forms large, coarse mats on slightly raised humps (hummocks) rising above the marsh. It is sometimes hidden beneath dense thatch and low shrubs. The greatest hazard in peatlands is trampling by uninformed visitors. The plants are large and yellow to yellowish green. The stems are densely packed, erect, yellow to reddish brown, and closely and evenly branched. They are often swollen at the tip. The branching is 1-pinnate, meaning the branches are not themselves branched. The branches get gradually shorter approaching the stem tip, but each branch is nearly equal to the one above and below. The stems and branches appear cobwebby due to a dense covering of long, green, thread-like structures (paraphyllia). They appear dark when wet. Each paraphyllum is up to 27 cells in length. Stem and branch leaves are closely spaced, overlapping, and erect to somewhat spreading. Stem leaves are 3⁄64″ to 1⁄16″ (1.2 to 1.5 mm) in length. Branch leaves are 1⁄32″ (0.6 to 0.8 mm) in length. The leaf base is heart shaped (cordate). The leaf tip is drawn out (acuminate). The pointed tip (acumen) is broad. The leaf surface is somewhat longitudinally folded but not quite pleated (sulcate). The midvein (costa) extends 2/3 to 4/5 the length of the blade, ending at or before the acumen. The margins are upright at the leaf base but then curve downwards towards the leaf tip. They have short, sharp teeth. Spore-bearing reproductive structures (sporophytes) are rarely produced. When present, the sporophyte is a small capsule at the end of a long stalk (seta). The seta is slender, reddish-orange, smooth, and 1 9⁄16″ to 2⅜″ (4 to 6 cm) long. At the end of the capsule there is an obliquely angled opening. When immature the capsule opening (mouth) is covered with a membranous hood (operculum) and a large, smooth cap (calyptra). The operculum is straight and cone-shaped or beak-like. As it matures, the capsule develops a ring around the opening (annulus). When mature, the annulus forces the operculum and calyptra to drop off exposing the capsule opening. The mature capsule is held horizontally. It is ⅛″ (3 to 4 mm) long, cylinder shaped, and asymmetric, flattened below and very curved above. Around the opening there are two sets of teeth. The outer set has 16 yellowish teeth. The inner teeth are translucent and papery (hyaline) to yellowish. |
Growth Form |
Pleurocarp |
Height |
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Similar Species |
Habitat |
Fens, edges of swamps, peat bogs, and sand bars in creeks |
Ecology |
Phenology |
Capsules mature in the spring. |
Use |
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Distribution |
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Sources Janssens, J.A. 2014. Noteworthy Mosses & Liverworts of Minnesota, Part II: Species Fact Sheets. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources 2014, 208 pp. |
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12/29/2024 | ||
Nativity |
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Native |
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Occurrence |
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Frequent in Minnesota |
Taxonomy |
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Kingdom |
Plantae (green algae and land plants) |
Subkingdom |
Viridiplantae (green plants) |
Infrakingdom |
Streptophyta (land plants and green algae) |
Superdivision |
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Division |
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Subdivision |
Bryophytina (moss) |
Class |
Bryopsida (joint-toothed mosses) |
Subclass |
Bryidae |
Superorder |
Hypnanae |
Order |
Hypnales (feather mosses) |
Family |
Helodiaceae |
Genus |
Helodium (helodium moss) |
Family Genus The transfer has had a mixed reception. Flora of North America, ITIS, and NatureServe use the name Elodium blandowii. Most other sources, including USDA PLANTS, GBIF, World Flora Online, and Consortium of Bryophyte Herbaria, use the name Helodium blandowii. Species epithet |
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Subordinate Taxa |
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GBIF recognizes one variety: Helodium blandowii var. helodioides
USDA PLANTS recognizes two varieties: Helodium blandowii var. blandowii Helodium blandowii var. helodioides
Naturserve recognizes three varieties: Helodium blandowii var. blandowii Helodium blandowii var. elodioides Helodium blandowii var. helodioides
Most sources do not recognize any varieties. |
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Synonyms |
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Abietinella abietina var. paludosum Elodium blandowii Elodium lanatum Elodium pseudoabietinum Helodium blandowii var. blandowii Helodium lanatum Helodium pseudoabietinum Hypnum abietinum var. paludosum Hypnum blandowii Hypnum filicinum var. lanatum Hypnum lanatum Leskea blandowii Stereodon blandowii Thuidium blandovii Thuidium blandowii Thuidium lanatum Thuidium pseudoabietinum |
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Common Names |
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Blandow’s bog moss Blandow’s feather moss Blandow’s helodium moss Blandow’s tamarisk-moss |
Glossary
Calcareous
Alkaline; rich in limestone; containing a high proportion of calcium carbonate.
Costa
On ferns: The central axis of a pinna, to which pinnules are attached. On mosses: the central axis (midvein) of a leaf. On insects: The vein on the leading edge of the forewing.
Seta
A stiff, hair-like process on the outer surface of an organism. In Lepidoptera: A usually rigid bristle- or hair-like outgrowth used to sense touch. In mosses: The stalk supporting a spore-bearing capsule and supplying it with nutrients. Plural: setae. Adjective: setose.
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Created: 12/29/2024 Last Updated: © MinnesotaSeasons.com. All rights reserved. |