#rhodobryum

[wild-e-eep]

I think this is rose moss - Rhodobryum roseum. There's a small patch of it growing next to the old village in Glenan Wood.

iNaturalist observation 260087078

[cedar-glade]

Rhodobryum ontariense

Rhodobryum roseum which is less polygonal with it’s microphylls tends to have a heavily Eurasian distribution however, it is found making spreading matts with space between individuals in refugium in the United States where temperate rainforest and insulating effects keep them in a cooler microclimate enough to survive. Commonly out of refugium we see them in Canada and Northern USA, as it is a circumboreal species, refugia are disconnected so disjunction separates them from a truly circum-temperate range from what I understand. The polygonal microphylls of the Ontario rose moss species are noticeable often enough and if that doesn’t give them away, these form dense colonies that are ground cover like, rich mesic woods and along karst ravines you may see a large matt and will probably be able to single it down to R. ontariense. The first  photo on the left is a flash photo so you can zoom in and see the details of the leaf where the margins can be seen more angular, the left photo, less detailed shows natural color since it’s natural light. 

[vandaliatraveler]

A beautiful and uncommon rose moss (Rhodobryum ontariense) creeps over a wet tree stump nears the Falls of Hills Creek in the Monongahela National Forest.

[cedar-glade]

Rose moss,  Rhodobryum roseum growing in the Anomadon spp. mat on the trunk of a tree in a humidity ducting ravine.  Rhodobryum roseum is often found on karst exposures or along the forest floor in mesic or humid locations, rarely does it grow on trees. presence of this species is usually affiliated with good forest health; however, i’ve seen this species on rocks in disturbed forest and it can still be successful. What i’ve never seen is the species produce sporophytes( stype and capsule). Instead, i’ve only seen it opening up for  perichaetia expansion prior to just resuming new microphyll growth (one is doing this clearly in the bottom right. Many others can also be seen) 

Splashcup feature with both male antheridia and  archegonium with bractoid  perichaetia sheaths. This is the closest you can get to showing this without a microscope; Ill try to collect a specimen eventually to get a clear shot, this is from: http://botany.thismia.com/category/seedless-plants/ 

Photographed in RRG, Copperas Creek Dist.

[cedar-glade]

ohhh yeah small Rhodobryum time also special guest in this photo is a cool little liverwort that grows on sandstone called  Bazzania trilobata,

Im pretty sure this might be the dwarf Ontario rose moss 

Rhodobryum ontariense var. minor 

Coastal forest associations to extremely old earth, some sections of the ILP and some sections of Appalachia (all old geologically) still have some R. roseum left in refugium since initial continental breakups. R. roseum, while rare in the states is fairly common in Europe. The vast majority of Rhodobryum spp. in the USA happen to be R. ontariense. While this is true, variants make this species still a diverse moss species morphological. Above is var. minor. 

While this: 

Versailles SP

Clifton Gorge SNP

Adam’s Co. 

Clifty Falls,SP

Is a normal R. ontariense. pay attention to that mid vein because it’s critical.

not the leaf curl, to identifying a species! While amount of reflex and microphyll angle toward tip taper is considered a viable identifier that midvein is a critical morphological character. 

Taken from Illinois flora post’s comments and foot notes: 

Crum & Anderson (1981), the outer leaf margins of Rhodobryum ontariense form a more obtuse angle than those of Rhodobryum roseum (90-120° vs. 65-100°), the lower and middle margins of its leaves are more recurved (rolled downward), and the midribs of its leaves always extend to the leaf tips, rather than falling slightly short of them. In addition, the mature pseudo-rosettes of Rhodobryum ontariense have 18-52 leaves, while those of Rhodobryum roseum have 16-21 leaves.

[humanbyweight]

Roseate Moss (Rhodobryum sp.)