SafePlants

Bruchia Mosses: A Closer Look

The genus Bruchia encompasses a variety of small mosses found in diverse environments around the world. Several species are of particular interest due to their rarity and specific habitat requirements.

Common and Scientific Names

• Scientific Name: Bruchia
• Common Names: Bruchia moss, Pygmy moss, Earth Moss, Candlemoss
• Specific species also have unique common names, such as:
  • Bruchia bolanderi: Bolander's candlemoss, Bolander's pygmymoss, Bolander's bruchia moss
  • Bruchia fusca: Bruchia moss
  • Bruchia carolinae: Carolina Bruchia Moss
  • Bruchia drummondii: Drummond's Bruchia Moss
  • Bruchia vogesiaca: Vosges Candle-moss

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Kingdom: Plantae
• Division: Bryophyta
• Class: Bryopsida
• Order: Dicranales
• Family: Bruchiaceae
• Genus: Bruchia Schwaegr.
• Rank: Species
• Synonyms/Alternative Names: Several Bruchia species have alternative scientific names and taxonomic classifications. For example, Bruchia vogesiaca is also known as Bruchia vogesiaca Nestl. ex Schwaegr.

Distribution and Habitat

• Bruchia mosses are found in various locations worldwide.
• Bruchia bolanderi is native to California.
• Bruchia brevipes is found in Antarctica, Australia, and South Africa.
• Bruchia vogesiaca has been recorded in the Northern Hemisphere, including western Europe (France, United Kingdom), North America, and China. It favors damp, disturbed, acidic soil.
• Bruchia flexuosa is found on clay or base soil in fields or under old willows and along brooks.

Morphological Characteristics

• Bruchia mosses are generally very small.
• Bruchia bolanderi plants reach up to 6 mm high and are yellowish green to brown, growing in loose tufts.
• Bruchia flexuosa is an ephemeral moss, with plants up to 3.5 mm high and leaves to 3 mm long.
• The capsule of Bruchia texana is clearly exserted beyond the perichaetial.

Ecological Role

• Some species, like Bruchia bolanderi, are listed on inventories of rare and endangered plants, indicating their vulnerability.
• Bruchia vogesiaca is a rare summer-annual that thrives in damp, disturbed areas.

Considerations for Pets

• Some Bruchia mosses are very small, which could pose a choking hazard if ingested by small pets.

Considerations for Children

• Some Bruchia mosses are very small, which could pose a choking hazard if ingested by young children.

Further Information

• CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants
• GBIF Backbone Taxonomy
• The Plant List
• Index Nominum Genericorum (ING)
• NYBG Virtual Herbarium