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small archidium moss

Scientific Name: Archidium minus

Family: Archidiaceae

Category: Moss

Growth: Nonvascular

Duration:

Other Names:

       

Small Archidium Moss (Archidium minus)

Archidium minus, commonly known as Small Archidium Moss, is a nonvascular plant belonging to the moss family Archidiaceae.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

  • Scientific Name: Archidium minus (Renauld & Cardot) Snider
  • Synonyms: Archidium hallii var. minus Ren. & Card.
  • Family: Archidiaceae
  • Kingdom: Plantae
  • Rank: Species

Distribution and Habitat

This small moss has been encountered in California and is also found in Britain and Ireland. It grows in dark or mid-green patches or loose mats.

Morphological Characteristics

  • Grows in dark or mid-green patches or loose mats.
  • Stems can reach up to 2 cm long.
  • Often forms of more or less prostrate, non-fertile shoots with short stems.
  • Stem leaves are small and distant on short plants, becoming longer and erect-spreading on taller plants.
  • Leaves are ovate or ovate-lanceolate.

Spore Characteristics

  • When the capsule of the sporophyte is ripe, it releases thousands of tiny spores.
  • The vast majority of species have small spores.

Quirky Facts

  • Archidium is one of the smallest mosses.
  • The genus Archidium contains about 35 species of moss.

Further Information

  • Garden Guides: Offers plant information, identification details, uses, and gardening advice.
  • Tropicos: Provides information on Archidium yunnanense and other species.
  • ARKive: Features information about Archidium elatum.