Mosses

Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans (Brid.) Iwats.

Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans

At first glance, this moss looks like a leafy liverwort because of its flattened habit and small leaves that seem to be arranged in two rows. A hand lens or compound microscope will show that the leaves are in fact spirally arranged:

A leafy shoot of Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans under the microscope. The leaves have a whorled arrangement.

A leafy shoot of a leafy liverwort. The leaves are arranged in two rows and sometimes with a third row on the underside of the stem (not shown from this angle).

This moss forms mats along the substrate and is usually light green with shiny yellow highlights. An interesting feature of P. elegans is that it forms a mass of brittle mini-branches (gemmae) at the end of its leafy shoots in the wintertime. These branches break off and can form new plants:

A leafy gametophore with a mass of gemmae

P. elegans can be found on somewhat shaded areas of banks in forests, humus, rotten logs, and on tree bases. The sample shown here was found on dead red cedar stump, which is also a favorite substrate for leafy liverworts.