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Buxbaumia viridis
Also called Green shield moss
Buxbaumia viridis, the green shield-moss, is a rare moss of the family Buxbaumiaceae that grows on heavily decayed wood in cool, humid, shaded forests. Its sporophyte is the only visible part and the key to growing it is constant humidity and shade.
Buxbaumia viridis, also known as the green shield-moss, is a rare bryophyte found sporadically throughout the northern hemisphere. The gametophyte of this moss is not macroscopically visible; the large, distinct sporophyte of B. viridis is the only identifying structure of this moss. This moss can be found singularly or in small groups on decaying wood, mostly in humid, sub-alpine to alpine Picea abies, Abies alba, or mixed tree forests. This moss is rare and conservation efforts are being made in most countries B. viridis is found in.
Buxbaumia viridis is an epixylic species, meaning it lives on wood surfaces. It favors heavily decayed wood, usually to the point where the decayed wood is deformed (30–60 years old depending on species and size). It does not grow exclusively to one tree species, but it is found more often on conifer species such as Picea abies and Abies alba; it can also be found on other conifers and deciduous trees such as Fagus sylvatica. Rarely it can be found on mineral soil or humus.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Buxbaumia viridis by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
