#bryology

[lichenaday]

Do you have any resources about the history of bryology as a field?

Uh, no. Sorry. I don't really study bryology. Good luck in your endevours!

[humboldtingthroughlife]

Leptodon smithii

Remparts de Bayonne, Pays Basque, France | April 21st 2026

[drhoz]

Hello! I just wanted to say that you show me so many interesting things on my dash and I learn so much from it ❤️ I don't know much about liverworts/hornworts etc but I guess I'll be learning about them this week!

You're one of my favourite blogs. Cheers mate ❤️❤️❤️

alas, no more bryophytes until I get to the stuff from the NZ trip in January - hopefully in the next few weeks, although the workload at the moment is a nightmare. But then, lots - New Zealand continues to be a bryologist's wet dream - or at least a cool, moist dream.

[bryoinformatics]

Sphagnum papillosum Lindb. : showing the diagnostic shape and namesake papillosity of the chlorocysts in a branch leaf cross-section. To get past subgenus Sphagnum, that was all I needed, but getting a pretty 1 or 2 cells thick cross-section isn't easy. This subgenus is easy to recognize macroscopically by its large cucullate (spoon shaped) leaves, but the main thing that helps get them to species is these cross sections.

[bryoinformatics]

Archegonia (singular archegonium) and antheridia (singular antheridium) from a moss I was identifying. Both found on the same individual (autoicous) which further confirms my identification of Warnstorfia fluitans vs genus Sarmentypnum (latter is dioicous).

The organs are hidden in these little bud-like structures of leaves. One bud contains only one type of organ and they're found on different branches or sections of the stem. I dissected everything out at 30x magnification then took the compound scope pics at 40x and 100x.

[bryoinformatics]

Sphagnum russowii collected Oct 27th 2025, got around to keying today. Stem leaves dyed with methylene blue.

A pretty common Sphagnum species of the Acutifolia subgenus, which has maybe one of the most whimsical identification characters of Sphagnum spp: stem leaf hyalocysts near the apex tend to be shaped like little sheet ghosts, seen above. This was one of the species I learned to identify at the workshop that got me into Sphagnum ID and that character stuck with me lol More characters I used to go through the key below readmore. Key used is Sphagnum mosses of Eastern Canada (Ayotte and Rochefort 2021)

Branch leaf cross section: chlorocysts triangle-shaped with base on concave face : subgenus Acutifolia (with exceptions for S. aongstroemii and S. wulfianum). Not my best leaf cross section by far, but it works

Fascicles 5 branches or less, 2 spreading branches per fascicle (multiple were examined), no metallic sheen on spreading branches when dry

Branch leaves without smooth margins near the summit and apex at most 2-3 dentate, involute margins

Stem cross section: does not have clear brown or reddish-brown coloration, demarcation between cortex, scleroderm and central parenchyma not very marked

Stem leaves with truncate apex, truncate/lacerate for less than half the width of the leaf, concave surface hyalocysts with little/no pores

Stem cortical cells with pores

I limited it to one photo each set of characters here but when doing Sphagnum ID you often have to examine multiple leaves (stem and spreading branch) on the same sample, as there's a lot of variation and atypical leaves aren't uncommon.

[melangle]

[gaynaturalistghost]

Everybody else is looking up at the big beautiful waterfall. Not me. I’m looking at the mud around the bottom. for liverworts.