Apr 27, 2020
Most mosses have descriptive names that seem to fit very well, but the name of Entodon seductrix is just... odd. Often called the seductive entodon, nobody but the species author, Johannes Hedwig, really knows what was so seductive about this species. According to bryologist Ralph Pope, “Hedwig clearly spent too many years in the lab”!
Entodon seductrix commonly grows on rotted wood and tree bases, as well as soil with high concentrations of organic matter. The yellow-green color with round stems and crowded, imbricate leaves that give it a snake-like look, as well as the reddish-brown capsules are fairly distinctive, though there are other members of the genus that are similar.