Moss Species Identification 2

Identifying Moss Sample Number 2

Leucobrym

Name: Leucobrym
Family:  Leucobryaceae

Common name: White cushion moss

Collection Date: 9/6/16

Habitat:woody forest with high density of canopy. Located on forest bed and surface of rocks.

Location: Hiram College woods behind Townhouses

Description:thin leaves, small and compacted. The actually body can be small-large dense and rounded cushion. color white to grayish or bluish green. Stems are forked.

Key Used: Karl B McKnight, 2013, Common Mosses of the Northeast

Keying Steps: 

Step 1: Sample was indentifed to be Arocarp.
Step 2: Leaf shape of sample was lance with no midrib.
Step 3: The Color of the sample helped identify it due to its odd white/gray/green color.
Step 4: The Sample was found to rarely contain a capsule.

Due to this information, the sample was found to be a type of spongy or carpet moss in the genus Leucobrym. It is undecided whether or not the sample is the Leucobrym Glaucum. 

Figure 1: Leucobrym seen under the dissecting scope.

Figure 2: Leucobrm Leaves under Microscope. Lack of Midrib.  

Link: https://www.ohio.edu/plantbio/vislab/moss/Jarrod'spage.html