ID on an Australian Moss?

[mr_c265]

Hi all,

I tried this on AL, but didn't get a response. Hopefully someone where will know.

Basically, a while back i got some bits of wood from the blue mountains out of the river on my Dad's property. I thought nothing more of it and put them in a tub next to the house. 2 years later i finally collected them, they'd dried out and been resubmerged so many times it wasn't even funny, but yet, there was a moss growing on them. So i brought the wood home, it dried out again, moss went brown. I put it in a tub next to my house, moss started growing again and i've just realised recently how nice it actually looks.

It looks sort of like Java moss, but hairier and softer than the fibres on Java Moss, the leaves are longer too.

Heres a few pics:

And some Java Moss for comparison:

And some microscope shots of the native moss

This moss appears to be very happy living submerged and at Dad's had survived temperatures between -4 and 42. It grows fast too and will cling readily onto anything.

Anybody know what it's called?

[2OFUS]

It looks like willow moss to me

[mr_c265]

It does look a little like Willow Moss, but the leaves look different and the growing ends too. Also this moss has been frozen multiple times and spends a couple of months each year at or around 0 degrees, i'm not sure that willow would survive this, furthermore, i don't think willow is a native.

A bit more info is that emersed it produces spores and the little spore holding stalks.

I'm nearly certain it isn't one of the common aquarium mosses, and i think it most closely resembles a species of stringy moss, i know Australia has a few species of Stringy Moss, but i was hoping for an exact/genus id.

Thank you though, it may end up being a Fontinalis like willow moss, i hadn't thought of that before.

[fishmosy]

Contact Bob (northboy) and he can put you in contact with the person who studies Australia's native mosses. I'm sure she will know what it is.