Mosses of Western Australia facts for kids

Western Australia has relatively few species of moss; the most recent census found just 192 taxa. This represents just 10% of Australia's total moss flora, even though Western Australia accounts for about one third of the Australia by area. This relatively low diversity has been attributed to the lack of rainforest in the state.

By far the majority of the state's moss species occur in the Southwest Botanical Province, with over 80% of all species, genera and families occurring there. This includes four species that are apparently endemic to the province.

About 70% of Western Australia's moss taxa occur also in South Australia, and a similar proportion occur also in New South Wales. Only about 50% occur also in Queensland. About half are restricted to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, and a further 10% occur also only in South America.

List of mosses of Western Australia

This is a list of mosses of Western Australia, with classification updated.

Subclass Sphagnidae

Sphagnaceae

• Sphagnum molliculum

Subclass Funariidae

Encalyptaceae

• Bryobartramia novae-valesiae

Funariaceae

• Funaria apophysata
• F. cuspidata
• F. gracilis
• F. helmsii
• F. hygrometrica
• F. muhlenbergii
• F. phymatodea
• F. producta
• F. radians
• F. salsicola
• F. subnuda
• Goniomitrium acuminatum
• G. enerve

Gigaspermaceae

• Gigaspermum repens

Subclass Dicranidae

Grimmiaceae

• Grimmia apocarpa
• G. laevigata
• G. pulvinata
• G. trichophylla
• Racomitrium crispulum

Ptychomitriaceae

• Ptychomitrium australe

Archidiaceae

• Archidium indicum
• A. rehmanii
• A. rothii

Fissidentaceae

• Fissidens asplenioides
• F. bifrons
• F. ceylonensis
• F. gillianus
• F. gymnocarpus
• F. hebetatus
• F. leptocladus
• F. maceratus
• F. megalotis
• F.  microcladus
• F. perobtusus
• F. pungens
• F. taylorii
• F. tenellus
• F. victorialis

Ditrichaceae

• Ceratodon purpureus
• Ditrichum difficile
• Eccremidium arcuatum
• E. exiguum
• E. minutum
• E. pulchellum
• E. whiteleggei
• Pleuridium acuminatum
• P. ecklonii
• P. nervosum

Bruchiaceae

• Bruchia brevipes
• Tremadoton acutus

Dicranaceae

• Campylopus acuminatus
• C. australis
• C. bicolor
• C. flindersii
• C. incrassatus
• C. introflexus
• C. pyriformis
• Dicranoloma billardieri
• D. diaphanoneurum

Leucobryaceae

• Leucobryum subchlorophyllosum

Erpodiaceae

• Erpodium australiense

Calymperaceae

• Calymperes erosum
• Calymperes tenerum
• Octoblepharum albidum

Pottiaceae

Note: The genera Desmatodon, Phascum, Pottia, and Tortula were heavily revised by Zander, and a number of names in the list below are no longer correct.

• Acaulon eremicola
• A. granulosum
• A. integrifolium
• A. leucochaete
• A. mediterraneum
• A. triquetrum
• Aloina sullivaniana
• Barbula calycina
• B. crinita
• B. ehrenbergii
• B. hornschuchiana
• B. indica
• B. luteola
• B. subcalycina
• Bryoerythrophyllum binnsii
• Calymperastrum latifolium
• Crossidium davidai
• C. geheebii
• D. recurvatus
• Didymodon luehmannii
• D. subtorquatus
• D. torquatus
• Gymnostomiella vernicosa
• Gymnostomum calcareum
• Hyophila involuta
• H. rosea
• Leptodontium paradoxum
• Phasconica balansae
• Phascopsis rubicunda
• Phascum laticostum
• P. longipilum
• P. robustum var. crassinervium
• Pottia brevicaulis
• P. davalliana
• P. drummondii
• P. scabrifolia
• P. starckeana
• Pterygoneurum kemsleyi
• P. ovatum
• Splachnobryum wiemansii
• Stonea oleaginosa
• Tetrapterum cylindricum
• Tortella cirrhata
• T. flavovirens
• Tortula antarctica
• T. atrovirens (=Desmatodon convolutus)
• T. muralis
• T. pagorum
• T. papillosa
• T. rubella
• Trichostomopsis australasiae
• Trichostomum brachydontium
• Triquetrella papillata
• Uleobryum peruvianum
• Weissia brachycarpa
• W. controversa
• W. rutilans

Rhabdoweisiaceae

• Amphidium cyathicarpum

Ephemeraceae

• Ephemerum cristatum
• E. rehmannii

Subclass Bryidae

Splachnaceae

• Tayloria octoblepharum

Orthotrichaceae

• Macromitrium archeri
• Zygodon intermedius
• Z. menziesii
• Z. minutus

Hedwigiaceae

• Hedwigia ciliata
• H. integrifolia

Rhacocarpaceae

• Rhacocarpus purpurascens
• R. webbianus

Bryaceae

• Brachymenium coarctatum
• B. exile
• B. indicum
• B. preissianum
• Bryum albo-limbatum
• B. apiculatum
• B. argenteum
• B. australe
• B. billardieri var. billardieri
• B. billardieri var. platyloma
• B. caespiticium
• B. campylothecium
• B. capillare
• B. cellulare
• B. cheelii
• B. chrysoneuron
• B. creberrimum
• B. dichotomum
• B. inaequale
• B. lanatum
• B. pachytheca
• B. torquescens
• Pleurophascum occidentale

Orthodontiaceae

• Orthodontium inflatum
• O. lineare
• O. pallens

Mniaceae

• Pohlia wahlenbergii
• Schizymenium bryoides

Bartramiaceae

• Bartramia afro-stricta
• B. compacta
• B. hampei
• B. papillata
• B. pseudostricta
• B. strictifolia
• Breutelia affinis
• Philonotis australiensis (= Bartramidula pusilla; The genus Bartramidula has been synonymized with Philonotis.)
• P. mollis
• P. tenuis

Racopilaceae

• Racopilum convolutaceum

Mitteniaceae

• Mittenia plumula

Pilotrichaceae

• Sauloma tenella

Pterigynandraceae

• Trachyphyllum inflexus

Thuidiaceae

• Thuidium sparsum var. hastatum

Campyliaceae

• Drepanocladus aduncus
• D. sendtneri

Fabroniaceae

• Fabronia australis
• F. hampeana
• Ischyrodon lepturus

Hypnaceae

• Hypnum cupressiforme var. mossmanianum
• Taxiphyllum minutirameum
• Vesicularia montagnei
• V. rivalis

Sematophyllaceae

• Sematophyllum amoenum
• S. caespitosum
• S. contiguum
• S. homomallum