Buxbamia aphylla CLICK FOR A LARGER IMAGE

Buxbaumia aphylla Hedw.

Leafless Bug-on-a-stick

Buxbaumiaceae

General Description: An inconspicuous moss. The protonema and tiny capsule and its stalk (seta) are the only parts of the plant visible in the field. The leaves clustered near the base of the seta disappear before the capsule ripens, making the plant appear leafless. The seta is erect or nearly so and about 4-11 mm long. The capsule is broadly ovate, 3-5 mm long, and a shiny chestnut brown color. The capsule is strongly inclined to nearly horizontal from its stout, erect neck. To dehisce the spores, the papery cuticle separates from the wall of the capsule and peels backward from the mouth, like a scroll of parchment. It is often called bug-on-a-stick because of the beetle-like appearance of the capsule.

Field Identification Tips: Tiny mosses comprised of a single capsule on a stalk with no evident green leaves identifies the genus. Positive species identification requires mature capsules.

Phenology: Capsules have been reported during various times of the year.

Similar Species: The capsules of B. piperi and B. viridis are yellow-green, aging to a yellow-brown color, and not glossy. The capsule cuticle for B. viridis splits longitudinally, while for B. piperi the cuticle rolls back from the mouth, similar to B. aphylla.

Habitat: Usually on nutrient-poor soil in open areas. Sometimes on soil over rock, or on old logs in the forest, from low to mid-elevations.

Global Distribution: Widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, including Europe, Asia, Japan, and North America; also in New Zealand. In western North America from Alaska and the Yukon, to British Columbia, Alberta, the Pacific Northwest states, and Colorado. Also found from Ontario to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, southward through New England, to North Carolina, and in several Midwestern states.

Idaho Distribution: Idaho County. Suspected to occur in northern Idaho.

References:

Crum, H. A., and L. E. Anderson. Mosses of eastern North America Vol. II. Columbia University Press, New York. 1328 pp.

Hancock, J. A., and G. R. Brassard. 1974. Phenology, sporophyte production, and life history of Buxbaumia aphylla in Newfoundland, Canada. The Bryologist 77(4): 501-513.

Lawton, E. 1971. Moss flora of the Pacific Northwest. The Hattori Botanical Laboratory, Nichinan, Miyazaki, Japan. 362 pp., plus plates.