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S. cristatum sporophyte

Here is something that is common yet many have never seen, Sphagnum sporophytes.

I originally imported this species live from New Zealand many moons ago. This culture is a descendant of the original cultures that were featured in my "Growing Sphagnum Moss" web page.

Sorry for the crappy pics but the humidity levels above the sphagnum was so intense the lens would fog up almost immediately, I had to move fast and hope for the best.
Enjoy :)

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"...The sporophyte of Sphagnum consists of a nearly globose capsule and a foot; a seta is absent. At maturity, the sporophyte is elevated into the air by a stalk of gametophytic origin termed the pseudopodium. The capsule, like that of other mosses, is provided with an operculum, but a peristome is lacking and spore discharge, rather than being gradual, is explosive. Upon germination, each spore gives rise to a unistratose sheet of cells that forms multicellular masses (buds) from which the leafy gametophytes arise. "
http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/mosses.html

Av
 
WOW, thats awesome!
 
Looks a bit like Taxus with fruit that way :D
 
I've had my sphagnum produce those last year. I was wondering what they were and now that you've clarified, it tells me I must have been doing something right!
Talk about saturated! Looks real healthy. I always like a good pic of sphagnum.
Thanks for sharing.
 
Very nice, Butch. All of that talk of pseudopodia and gametophytes is causing me some sleepless Botany flashbacks; and don't even get me started on those convoluted haploid/diploid life cycles of mosses and bryophytes.

It puts some of the crap that goes on in San Francisco to shame . . .
 
Bloke,
Its a new culture, once established it won't be that saturated...

LOL @ David

Butch
 
So THAT's what the creepy club-like bug antennae in my D. arcturi pot were :D

Weird moss :p
 
Its a new culture, once established it won't be that saturated...
Have you noticed whether different species prefer different levels of water saturation?
 
yes.... it can vary quite a bit actually. In addition to that is the obvious difference in the relationship of maturity to water levels. But that is more a common sense relationship. Older cultures can deal with much lower levels.
 
  • #10
wow mate. very very nice. I never had any of my sphagnum make any spore bearing structures. I think a variation between summer/winter temperatures is required to boost the plants into spore production.
 
  • #11
I'm not sure what the trigger is, but its easy to miss their occurrence... doesn't last long
 
  • #12
wow mate. very very nice. I never had any of my sphagnum make any spore bearing structures. I think a variation between summer/winter temperatures is required to boost the plants into spore production.

Some years back, I was growing tanks of various sphagnum species; and the sporophytic phase seemed to been simply related to age, a brief period of dryness and its photo-period . . .
 
  • #13
yes.... it can vary quite a bit actually. In addition to that is the obvious difference in the relationship of maturity to water levels. But that is more a common sense relationship. Older cultures can deal with much lower levels.
Two of the three species I currently grow appear to dislike an extremely high water level - almost refusing to grow when completely saturated. Both of these originated from NC - one being a very small species and another being quite large. Otoh, local LFS originating from Pine Barrens does very well with a high water level.
I'm not sure what the trigger is, but its easy to miss their occurrence... doesn't last long
As in days or hours? What is left when the spores are explosively distributed?
 
  • #14
Very nice AV!
I have the same thing with some of my moss.
recognized it easy from my day's of mushroom growing.
I know it's not the same thing as a mushroom, but same concept right?
mossspore.jpg
 
  • #15
Of those I found and photographed yesterday, I only saw one today (quick glance)... I assume the pseudopodium just sort of blends into the background.

Maybe a day or two at most I would guess...
David... any idea?

Oh now that is a good pic Adam!

Is yours indoors or out?.... Mine is out

Av
 
  • #16
Some years back, I was growing tanks of various sphagnum species; and the sporophytic phase seemed to been simply related to age, a brief period of dryness and its photo-period . . .

Good to know BigB. Those are variables that do not change in my setup and I might have to incorporate them in the future.
 
  • #17
AV,
It's out and it's been REALLY hot during the day 4 day's straight.
water level is low because of cats drinking out of the Rubbermaid container.
thus the burnt tips.
 
  • #18
Of those I found and photographed yesterday, I only saw one today (quick glance)... I assume the pseudopodium just sort of blends into the background.

Maybe a day or two at most I would guess...
David... any idea?

Oh now that is a good pic Adam!

Is yours indoors or out?.... Mine is out

Av

The pseudopodium is visible in Adam's photo, supporting the capsule; and it does blend in a great deal; and, in answer to Adam, it arises from gametophytic tissue from the moss and not a mycelium as in fungi . . .
 
  • #19
AV,
It's out and it's been REALLY hot during the day 4 day's straight.
water level is low because of cats drinking out of the Rubbermaid container.
thus the burnt tips.


Well, mine's outside and it's been hot here as well.
However, as you can see in the pic.... mine has been kept wet.

Ron, I looked closer and found dozens of psuedopodiums, some with capsules and some without. I'll keep an watch out for when the cycle ends.

Av
 
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