Family DICRANACEAE

Common name

“FINGER-LICKING-GOOD” MOSS is a (very) local common name for this species

Microhabitat

This moss can be found along Tatlow Trail on fallen stumps and logs and even on the trunk of a vine maple. It is normally found in coniferous forests in shaded areas on rotting wood and logs, but it is rarely found on rocks or on the ground.

Distribution

The North American distribution of Dicranum tauricum spans from Alaska to California and as far east as Saskatchewan, South Dakota, Wyoming, and Colorado. It is present but rare in Europe.

Microhabitat
Photo Credit: Yan Zhuang

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Morphology

This bright green moss grows in dense tufts or cushions. The leaves are straight, rigid, and almost sword-like. If you rub your hand over the fragile brittle tips they will break off and stick to your fingers. The broken tips are thought to be gemmae for asexual reproduction. The sexual reproductive organs are symmetrical sporophytes that grow pointed upwards, and the setae are reddish yellow in colour.

Key identifying features

While Dicranum fragilifoium also has fragile brittle tips, its capsule is shaped like a bow whereas the capsules of D. tauricum are pointed straight up. Tortella fragilis, although very similar to D. tauricum, rarely has sporophytes showing and usually grows on calcareous rock although it is known to grow on dead trees.

Interesting notes

The genus name Dicranum means “two-headed” or “forked” and refers to the peristome teeth that are divided into two points. This particular species was first described from a specimen in the Taurus mountains in Turkey, hence the specific epithet tauricum.

Selected References

Flowers, S. 1973. Mosses: Utah and the West. Brigham Young University Press, Utah, USA.

Grout, A.J. 1936. Moss Flora of North America, North of Mexico, Vol. I, Part 1. Published by the author, Newfane, Vermont.

Lawton, E. 1971. Moss flora of the Pacific Northwest. The Hattori Botanical Laboratory, Ninchinan, Miyazaki, Japan.

Schofield, W.B. 1992. Some common mosses of British Columbia, 2nd ed. Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, Canada.

By Nancy MacPherson

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© 2006 Department of Botany, University of British Columbia