Click on a picture or on the text below it to see an enlarged view.
Click on the BACK icon in your browser's toolbar to return to this page.

Click on the species name to see a description of the species.
Click on the link below the description or on the BACK icon in your browser's toolbar to return to this page.

Critical identification of mosses and liverworts requires use of a compound microscope. However, many genera and some species can readily be identified by features visible to the naked eye or with a 10x hand lens. This list includes all moss and liverwort species that have been identified at Rice Creek as of May, 2008.

Hepatophyta (Liverworts)

Calypogeiaceae

Calypogeia muelleriana (Sack Liverwort)

With mosses	Detail

Cephaloziaceae

Nowellia curvifolia (Rustwort)

Nowellea and Lophocolea	Close	On Log
Young Sporophytes	Sporophyte	With Scale

Harpanthaceae

Lophocolea heterophylla (Crested Liverwort)

Lophocolea	Sporophyte	Young Sporophyte	Foliage

Jubulaceae

Frullania inflata (Millipede Liverwort)

Plants	On Tree	Close Up

Marchantiaceae

Marchantia polymorpha (Common Liverwort)

Thallus	Gemmae Cup

Ptilidiacea

Ptilidium pulcherrimum (Tree Fringewort)

Plant

Radulaceae

Radula companulata (Flat-Leaved Liverwort)

Plants

Ricciaceae

Riccia fluitans (Floating Crystalwort)

In Pond	Thallus	Wet Thallus	Rhizoid
Close-Up	Dry Vernal Pool	Branching	Growing Tip

Bryophyta (Mosses)

Amblystegiaceae

Amblystegium polygamum (Campylium polygamum) (Fertile Feather Moss, Golden Creeping Moss)

On Fern Stem	Close Up	Plants

Amblystegium serpens (Creeping Feather Moss)

Capsules	Foliage

Drepanocladus fluitans (Feather Moss)

With Sporophytes	Plants

Hygroamblystegia tenax (Amblystegium tenax) (Fountain Feather Moss, Brookside Feather Moss)

In Habitat	Plants	Detail

Brachytheciaceae

Brachythecium rivulare (Rivulet Cedar Moss)

Foliage	Plants

Brachythecium rutabulum (Green Silk Moss)

Habit	Branching	Leaves
Fruiting	Sporophytes	Close Up

Brachythecium salebrosum (Golden Ragged Moss)

Branching	Sporophyte	Foliage

Bryoandersonia illecebra (Spoon-Leaved Moss)

Habit	Branching	Leaves

Eurhynchium hians (Beaked Moss, Swartz's Feather-Moss)

Close Up	Foliage	Branching
Foliage	Plants	In Lawn

Eurhynchium pulchellum (Beautiful Beak-Moss)

Specimen	Stem Leaves	Stem Tip

Steerecleus serrulatus (Rhynchostegium serrulatum) (Dark Beaked Moss)

Habit	Branching	Foliage	Branches

Bryaceae

Bryum argentium (Silvery Thread Moss, Silver Moss)

Colony	Capsules	Foliage

Bryum pseudotriquetrum (Tall-Clustered Thread Moss)

Capsule	Foliage	Foliage

Buxbaumiaceae

Buxbaumia minakatae (Ethereal Elf Cap Moss)

Detail	Habit	Scale

Climaciaceae

Climacium americanum (Tree Moss)

Habit	Branching	Branches	Stems	Stem

Dicranaceae

Dicranella heteromalla (Green Hair Moss)

Specimen	Leaves	Dry Specimen

Dicranum montanum (Mountain Fork Moss)

Specimen	Dry Specimen

Ditrichaceae

Ceratodon purpureus (Purple Horn Tooth Moss)

Colony	Capsules	Foliage

Ditrichum pusillum (Brown Ditrichum)

Foliage	Plants	Sporophytes	Capsule

Fissidentaceae

Fissidens exilis (Pygmy Pocket Moss)

Dry Specimen	Specimen	With Scale

Whole Plant	Close Up	Leaves	In Stream	Habitat

Fissidens taxifolius (Common Pocket Moss)

Plants	With Capsules

Funariaceae

Physcomitrium pyriforme (Common Bladder Moss, Urn Moss)

Habitat	Plants

Hypnaceae

Callicladium haldanianum (Common Cedar Moss)

Foliage	Sporophytes

Ctenidium molluscum (Comb Moss)

Habit

Herzogiella striatella (Muhlenbeck's Feather Moss)

Habit

Hypnum cupressiforme (Cypress-leaved Plait-moss)

Plant	Foliage

Hypnum lindbergii (Lindberg's Hypnum Moss)

Foliage

Platygyrium repens (Common Flat Brocade Moss)

Sporophytes	Branching	On Tree	On Log

Leskeaceae

Anomodon attenuatus (Shelf Moss, Common Tree Apron Moss)

Branching	Foliage

Thelia hirtella (Common Thelia)

Habit	Branching	Close Up

Mniaceae

Mnium ciliare (Many-Fruited Thread Moss)

Plants	Close up	With Capsules

Plagiomnium cuspidatum (Mnium cuspidatum) (Woodsy Mnium)

Growth Habit		In Lawn	Stems
Plants	Plants	Leaf	Foliage

Rhizomnium punctatum (Mnium punctatum) (Dotted Thyme Moss)

Plant	Male Plants	Leaf
Male	Antheridium	Leaf Margin

Orthotrichaceae

Orthotrichum ohioense (Ohio Orthotrichum Moss)

Dry	Wet

Orthotrichum speciosum (Straight Hair Tree Moss)

Plants	Shoots

Ulota crispa (Curled Hair Moss, Curled Leaf Moss)

On Tree	Dry	Wet
Dry	Wet	Sporophytes

Plagiotheciaceae

Plagiothecium cavifolium (Plagiothecium Moss)

(No Photo Available)

Plagiothecium denticulatum (Toothed Cotton Moss)

With others	Detail

Polytrichaceae

Atrichum angustatum (Lesser Smooth Cap Moss)

Plants	Shoot	Leaf	Habit
Leaves	Lamellae	Leaf Section	Leaf Cells

Atrichum crispulum (A. undulatum var. oerstedianum) (Common Smooth Cap Moss)

Plants	Young Capsules	Shoot	Leaf Section
Shoots	Capsules	Leaves	Leaf
Mature Capsules	Capsule	Lamellae	Lamellae

Polytrichum commune (Hair Cap Moss)

Lamellae	Shoot

Polytrichastrum formosum (Polytrichum formosum) (Wood Hair Cap Moss)

Dry Specimen	Young Sporophyte	Plants

Sematophyllaceae

Brotherella recurvans (Recurved Brotherella Moss)

Dry Specimen	Branching

Tetraphidaceae

Tetraphis pellucida (Four Tooth Moss)

Habit	Capsules	On Log	With Gemmae	Gemmae