Campylopus introflexus
Encyclopedia
Campylopus introflexus is a species
of moss
. It has a native southern hemisphere
distribution in southern South America
, southern part of Africa
, southern and eastern Australia
, and Atlantic and Pacific islands
such as New Zealand
, New Caledonia
and the South Sandwich Islands. It is a neophyte
in Europe
and coastal western North America
. In some parts of Europe and North America the species has become invasive. It can be found in a variety of settings, from bogs to dunes to flat roofs, often decalcified habitats. Individual plants measure 0.5–5 cm (0.196850393700787–2 in), with lanceolate
(lance-shaped) leaves 4–6 mm (0.15748031496063–0.236220472440945 in). The plants are found in dense mats and are yellowish to olive green. This species will sometimes reproduce asexually
by means of stem tips that break off and are distributed by the wind. Multiple sporophyte
s are often present in one plant. It produces spores of 12–14 µm in size.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of moss
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
. It has a native southern hemisphere
Southern Hemisphere
The Southern Hemisphere is the part of Earth that lies south of the equator. The word hemisphere literally means 'half ball' or "half sphere"...
distribution in southern South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, southern part of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, southern and eastern Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Atlantic and Pacific islands
Pacific Islands
The Pacific Islands comprise 20,000 to 30,000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. The islands are also sometimes collectively called Oceania, although Oceania is sometimes defined as also including Australasia and the Malay Archipelago....
such as New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
and the South Sandwich Islands. It is a neophyte
Neophyte (botany)
In botany, a neophyte is a plant species which is non-native to a geographical region, and was introduced in recent history. Plants that are long-established in an area are called archaeophytes...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and coastal western North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. In some parts of Europe and North America the species has become invasive. It can be found in a variety of settings, from bogs to dunes to flat roofs, often decalcified habitats. Individual plants measure 0.5–5 cm (0.196850393700787–2 in), with lanceolate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
(lance-shaped) leaves 4–6 mm (0.15748031496063–0.236220472440945 in). The plants are found in dense mats and are yellowish to olive green. This species will sometimes reproduce asexually
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only, it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which is reproduction without...
by means of stem tips that break off and are distributed by the wind. Multiple sporophyte
Sporophyte
All land plants, and some algae, have life cycles in which a haploid gametophyte generation alternates with a diploid sporophyte, the generation of a plant or algae that has a double set of chromosomes. A multicellular sporophyte generation or phase is present in the life cycle of all land plants...
s are often present in one plant. It produces spores of 12–14 µm in size.