Hylocomium splendens

Hylocomium splendens
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Bryophyta
Class: Bryopsida
Subclass: Bryidae
Order: Hypnales
Family: Hylocomiaceae
Genus: Hylocomium
Species:
H. splendens
Binomial name
Hylocomium splendens
(Hedw.) Schimp.[1]

Hylocomium splendens, commonly known as glittering woodmoss,[2] splendid feather moss,[3] stairstep moss, and mountain fern moss, is a perennial clonal moss[4] with a widespread distribution in Northern Hemisphere boreal forests. It is commonly found in Europe, Russia, Alaska and Canada, where it is often the most abundant moss species. It also grows in the Arctic tundra and further south at higher elevations in, for example, northern California, western Sichuan, East Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the West Indies. In Scotland it is a characteristic species of the Caledonian Forest. Under the UK's national vegetation classification system, pinewood community W18 is named as "Pinus sylvestris-Hylocomium splendens woodland", indicating its significance in this ecosystem.[1][5][6][7]

  1. ^ a b "Hylocomium splendens: Mountain Fern Moss" Archived April 22, 2008, at the Wayback Machine Rook.Org. Retrieved 16 May 2008.
  2. ^ Edwards, Sean R. (2012). English Names for British Bryophytes. British Bryological Society Special Volume. Vol. 5 (4 ed.). Wootton, Northampton: British Bryological Society. ISBN 978-0-9561310-2-7. ISSN 0268-8034.
  3. ^ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "​Hylocomium splendens​". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  4. ^ Oekland, RH (1995). "Population biology of the clonal moss Hylocomium splendens in Norwegian boreal spruce forests. I. Demography". Journal of Ecology. 83 (4): 697–712. Bibcode:1995JEcol..83..697O. doi:10.2307/2261637. JSTOR 2261637. Archived from the original on 2011-05-20. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  5. ^ "Species Profile: Glittering wood-moss" Archived 2009-05-31 at the Wayback Machine Trees for Life. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  6. ^ "Hylocomium splendens. Stair-step Moss" Archived 2008-05-14 at the Wayback Machine borealforest.org. Retrieved 17 May 2008.
  7. ^ "The Scottish Biodiversity List - Species & Habitat Detail: W18"[dead link] BiodiversityScotland. Retrieved 17 May 2008.