Tortula
Macarthur, ACT
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User's notes
Purple and curly found with other Lichens
2 comments
10 Jan 2018
This is a moss. Your photos show it in the dry state, with the leaves curled up. With a bit of moisture the leaves would uncurl, open out and become green. One or more species of Tortula are common on the trunks of rough-barked trees in numerous Canberra suburbs. Quite often a Tortula colony extends for well over a metre on a trunk but, when dry, is easily overlooked. If you look at the open leaves with a hand lens (or with the help of a macro lens on a camera) you will often see what looks like a scattering of lots of small green granules (as shown here http://www.cpbr.gov.au/bryophyte/photos-captions/tortula-papillosa-172.html). Each granule is an asexual propagule (technically called a gemma) and is capable of growing into a new plant. Gemma-bearing colonies are quite common in Canberra.
12 Jan 2018
It was actually only noticed on the photo of the Lichens after looked at on the computer. As you mention it is easy to overlook and we did this. Thank you very much for the extra information, most interesting. It really is amazing what is all around us that we so easily just walk past without noticing.
Thanks.
Thanks.
Location information
- Coordinates 149.129342-35.408280
- Places Macarthur, ACT
Sighting information
- 3 Abundance
- 9 Jan 2018 11:24 AM Recorded on
- RodDeb Recorded by
Collections
- Lichens; Mosses & other Bryophytes Mosses, Liverworts & Hornworts RodDeb Canberra & Southern Tablelands NatureMapr Tortula
Species information
- Tortula Scientific name
- Common name
- Not Sensitive
- Local native
- Non-invasive or negligible
- Up to 744.1m Recorded at altitude