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Philonotis fontana

(Philonotis Moss, Swamp Moss)

Conservation Status

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Population Analysis

  • For the 30,166 species in the Class Bryopsida (Mosses), we average 17.03 observations each in our database; for the Philonotis Moss, we have 2,355 observations. Compared to other species in this Class, this species is extremely common.
  • A two-sample t-test can be used to determine whether the trend in observations of the Philonotis Moss is the same as the trend in observations of Bryopsida. Is this species just as common, as a proportion of all observations, as it once was? The answer is no, changes in observation rate of this species significantly differ from changes in observation rate of its Class. (t=6.141, p<0.001)
  • How do observation rates of the Philonotis Moss differ from those of Bryopsida? To answer this, we examined the percentage of observerations for Bryopsida that were observations of the Philonotis Moss each year. We then correlated this percentage with observation year. If observations of the Philonotis Moss are becoming more common relative to other species of Bryopsida, the correlation should be positive, but if it is becoming less common, the correlation should be negative. In fact, the correlation is negative (r=-.27), with a negative slope (m = -.003), suggesting that the Philonotis Moss may be in decline relative to other species of Bryopsida. This correlation is statistically significant. (F = 330.06, p<.05)
  • The scatter chart to the right shows the percentage of all observations for Bryopsida each year that were observations of the Philonotis Moss.

Taxonomy

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Ambiguous Synonyms:

  1. Didymodon denticulatus W. P. Schimper in Husnot, 1874
  2. Didymodon mollis W. P. Schimper, 1876
  3. Philonotis acutiflora Kindberg in R�ll, 1896
  4. Philonotis caespitosa Juratzka, 1862
  5. Philonotis calcarea (Juratzka) Kindberg, 1897
  6. Philonotis lutea Mitten, 1859
  7. Philonotis luteola Cardot, 1911
  8. Philonotis seriata (W. P. Schimper) Loeske, 1906

Notes:

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 19-Jul-2004

Physical Description

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Genus Philonotis:

Plants small to robust, hygrophilic, glaucous to whitish green or yellowish green, in dense to lax tufts. Stems 0.5--10(--16) cm, erect, simple, forked or with a subfloral whorl of branches, more or less tomentose proximally; epidermis of large, thin walled, hyaline cells, often with exterior wall collapsed. Leaves in many rows, rarely in 5 distinct rows, 1- stratose, erect-spreading or somewhat secund when dry, erect-spreading to spreading when moist, broadly to narrowly lanceolate, acute to acuminate, rarely obtuse; margins plane or revolute, serrulate usually throughout, teeth single or paired; costa subpercurrent to excurrent, smooth or rough abaxially; distal laminal cells subquadrate to oblong or linear, prorulose at distal or proximal ends on both surfaces, rarely smooth or with a centric papilla; basal cells usually more lax than distal cells; alar cells not or slightly differentiated. Specialized asexual reproduction lacking or small deciduous brood branches in axils of distal leaves. Sexual condition dioicous, less frequently autoicous or rarely synoicous; perigonia gemmiform or discoid; perigonial leaves scarcely or clearly distinct from stem leaves; perichaetia terminal or lateral by innovations; perichaetial leaves scarcely distinct from stem leaves. Seta solitary, usually elongate, straight or flexuose, rarely curved. Capsule globose to ovoid, erect to horizontal to inclined, furrowed or rarely irregularly wrinkled, mouth oblique; annulus none; operculum conic convex, blunt to mammillate or bluntly apiculate; peristome double or rarely lacking; teeth lanceolate, dark red to reddish brown, densely and finely papillose, trabeculate, typically with rounded to ovoid thickenings on interior surface; endostome yellowish to pale brown; basal membrane well developed; segments keeled, vertically striate papillose; cilia 1--3, well developed or rudimentary. Spores spherical to reniform, densely and usually coarsely papillose.

Species 178: worldwide except Antarctica..

Philonotis will be recognized by the 1-stratose leaves and the subfloral whorl of branches on fertile plants. While leaf cells are typically prorulose, sterile stems, especially when subject to periodic inundation, may bear leaves with smooth cells.[1]

Habit: Nonvascular

Flowers: Bloom Period: n/a • Flower Color: inconspicuous, none

Images:

Distribution

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Growth

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Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Light Shade.

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Philonotis:

There are approximately 357 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them: P. acicularis · P. acutiflora · P. acutissima · P. affinis · P. africana · P. afro-uncinata · P. afrocapillaris · P. afrofontana · P. alpicola · P. alpicola Jur. var. glacialis Herzog · P. alto-gracilis · P. amblyoblasta · P. amblystegioides · P. americana · P. americana var. gracilescens · P. ampliretis · P. andina · P. androgyna · P. angularis · P. angulata · P. angusta · P. angustifolia · P. angustissima · P. anisoclada · P. anisothecioides · P. appressa · P. appressifolia · P. arbusculacea · P. arcubir · P. aristifolia · P. arnelli · P. arnellii · P. aruellii · P. asperifolia · P. asperrima · P. australiensis · P. australis · P. austrofalcata · P. baginsensis · P. balansaeana · P. baldwinii · P. bernoullii · P. berteroana · P. bodinierii · P. boliviensis · P. bonatii · P. brachyclada · P. brevicuspis · P. brevifolia · P. buckii · P. buenos-ayrensis · P. byssiformis · P. caespitosa · P. caespitosa var. caespitosa · P. caespitulosa · P. calcarea · P. calcareas · P. caldensis · P. calomicra · P. capillaris (Philonotis Moss) · P. capillata · P. capilliformis · P. carinata · P. catenulata · P. cernua · P. chrysoblasta · P. clavicaulis · P. comorensis · P. conostomoides · P. coreensis · P. corticata · P. courtoisii · P. crabrifolia · P. crassicollis · P. crassicostata · P. crassinervia · P. crenatula · P. curvata · P. curvifolia · P. curvula · P. defecta · P. dicranellacea · P. dregeana · P. elegantissima · P. elegantula · P. elongata · P. elongatula · P. erythrocaulis · P. esquelensis · P. etessei · P. eurybrochis · P. eurydictyon · P. evanescens · P. evanidinervis · P. evaninervis · P. exigua · P. falcata · P. fertilis · P. filiformis · P. filiramea

Bibliography

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  • Crum, H.A. and L.E. Anderson. 1981. Mosses of Eastern North America, vol. 1. New York. Florschtz, P. A. 1964. The Mosses of Suriname, part 1. Leiden. Flowers, S. 1935. Philonotis. In: A. J. Grout, ed., Moss Flora of North America. Newfane, Vermont.
  • Ireland, R. R. 1982. Moss Flora of the Maritime Provinces, Publications in Botany 13, National Museums of Canada. Ottawa.
  • Nyholm, E. 1954. Illustrated Moss Flora of Fennoscandia II. Musci. Gleerup. Lund.
  • Wijk, R. van der; Margadant, W. D.; Florsch&uuml;tz, P. A. (1959-1969): Index Muscorum vol. 1-5, ser. Regnum vegetabile, Internationa Bureau for Plant Taxonomy, Utrecht
  • Zales, W. M. 1973. A Taxonomic Revision of the Genus Philonotis for North America north of Mexico, Ph.D. dissertation (unpubl.). University of British Columbia. Vancouver.

More Info

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Notes

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Contributors:

Data Sources:

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal February 27, 2008:

  • Australian Antarctic Data Centre: Australian Antarctic Division Herbarium
  • Australian National Herbarium (CANB)
  • Canadian Museum of Nature: Canadian Museum of Nature Herbarium
  • European Environment Agency: EUNIS
  • Finnish Museum of Natural History: Hatikka Observation Data Gateway
  • GBIF-Spain: Real Jardin Botanico, Madrid: MA-Musci
  • GBIF-Spain: Universidad de Murcia, Dpto. Biología Vegetal (Botánica), Murcia: MUB-MUSCI
  • GBIF-Sweden: Herbarium of Oskarshamn (OHN)
  • GBIF-Sweden: Mosses (S)
  • Icelandic Institute of Natural History: Herbarium (AMNH)
  • Icelandic Institute of Natural History: Herbarium (ICEL)
  • Icelandic Institute of Natural History: Observational database of Icelandic plants
  • Jyväskylä University Museum - The Section of Natural Sciences: Spring bryophyte flora of Salpausselka (Ulvinen 1955 & Juutinen 2006)
  • Missouri Botanical Garden
  • Natural History Museum, University of Oslo: Bryophyte herbarium, Bergen (BG)
  • Natural History Museum, University of Oslo: Bryophyte herbarium, Oslo (O)
  • NLBIF: Limnodata
  • The New York Botanical Garden: American Bryophyte Catalog
  • UK National Biodiversity Network: British Bryological Society - Bryophyte data for Great Britain from the British Bryological Society held by BRC
  • UK National Biodiversity Network: British Bryological Society - Bryophyte data for Great Britain held by BRC for compilation
  • UK National Biodiversity Network: Environment and Heritage Service - EHS Species Datasets
  • UK National Biodiversity Network: Joint Nature Conservation Committee - Vegetation surveys of coastal shingle in Great Britain
  • UNIBIO, IBUNAM: MEXU/Colección de Briofitas
  • University Museums of Norway (MUSIT)
  • Utah State University: USU-UTC Specimen Database

Identifiers:

Footnotes:

  1. Dana Griffin, III "Philonotis". in Bryophyte Flora of North America Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.

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Last Revised: May 11, 2008