Ctenidium molluscum "Feather Comb Moss"

Sample #3:  Ctenidium molluscum   “Feather Comb Moss”

Figure 1: gametophyte strand of Ctenidium mollusscum

Figure 2: detail of group of leaves

Figure 3: detail of intact toothed sporophyte capsule

Phylum: Bryophyta

Family: Hypnaceae

Collection Date: September 8^th, 2016

Collector: Kristen Maslach

Habitat: Forest soil, rotting wood, and tree trunck bases; moist calcium-rich environments

Location: rotting tree stump, Hiram, Ohio

Description: pleurocarpous; sickle leaf with no midrib; terrestrial; short stem and capsules; leaves spiral and the tips point in different directions

Key Used: McKnight, Karl, Joseph Rohrer, Kirsten McKnight Ward and Warren Perdrizet (2013).  Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians.  Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 

Steps to Identify:

Pleurocarpous: “Stems branch freely and at a wide angle…tipically trail along the ground (pg 11)”

Sickle leaf with no midrib: “triangular or oval-shaped…tapered to a fine point curved to one side (pg 13)”

Terrestrial: “dry ti very moist habitats, not submerged or kept consistently wet (pg 356)”

Short stem and capsules: “leafy shoots (less than) 2 mm wide (pg 356)”

Spiraling leaves that point in different directions: “leaf tips curving in various directions; leaves not appearing to be braided (pg357)”

Resources: https://data.nbn.org.uk/Taxa/NHMSYS0000309385

Atrichum angustatum "Slender Starburst Moss"

Sample #2:  Atrichum angustatum  “Slender Starburst Moss”

Figure 1: detail of leafy gametophyte, Atichum angustatum

Figure 2: single leaf; midrib clearly visible

Figure 3: seta with intact operculum

Phylum: Bryophyta

Family: Polytrichaceae

Collection Date: September 8, 2016

Collector: Kristen Maslach

Habitat: soil mound at the base of upturned trees; similar dry, bare, disturbed soils

Location: dry creekbed, Hiram, Ohio

Description: Acrocarpous; lance-shaped leaf with a midrib; dark green; loosely associated shoots; found in dry soil; surface of the leaf rippled when wet; midrib conspicuous all the way to the leaf tip; leaves .5 mm wide

Key Used: McKnight, Karl, Joseph Rohrer, Kirsten McKnight Ward and Warren Perdrizet (2013).  Common Mosses of the Northeast and Appalachians.  Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. 

Steps to Identify:

Acrocarpous: “Individual stems typically stand upright…stems simple or sparsely forked (pg 10)”

Lance-shaped leaf with midrib: “generally straight…sides that gradually taper to a point (pg 12)”

Dark green, loosely associated shoots: “darcker green…shoots loosely associated (pg342)’

Found in dry soil: “plants on siol, rocks, trees or logs in dry areas  =(pg 342)”

“Surface of the leaf rippled or wavy when wet (pg 343)”

Midrip to leaf tip: “leaf midrib conspicuous to leaf tip (pg 343)”

Leaves .5 mm wide: “leaves 0.4-0.8 mm wide (pg 343)”

Resources: https://data.nbn.org.uk/Taxa/NHMSYS0000309385

Oonephris - Algae

Sample #1: Oonephris

Figure 1: a high-resolution view of Oonephris colony surrounded by a thin membrane.  PhycoKey - an image-based key to Algae (PS Protista), Cyanobacteria, and other aquatic objects. 

 Figure 2: Oonephris clustered together in a drop of water.  Kristen Maslach, 1 September 2016

Name: Oonephris
Phylum: Chlorophyla
Family: Oocystaceae
Collection Date: 31 August, 2016
Collector's Name: Julie Maxson
Habitat: generally found in small ponds containing decaying vegetation
Location: Petitti's Garden Center, front focal pond in parking lot

Description: Unflagellated colonies of ovoid cells; can appear as single cells

Key Used: Baker, A.L. et al.  2012.  PhycoKey - an image-based key to Algae (PS Protista), Cyanobacteria, and other aquatic objects.  University of New Hampshire Center for Freshwater Biology. 

http://cfb.unh.edu/phycokey/phycokey.htm 6 Sep 2016.

Steps in keying process:

Main page: Algae (PS Protista), Cyanobacteria and other aquatic objects

Greens (Chlorophyceae): have cell walls, contain chlorophyll a and b, are (usually) green, and contain starch reserves.

Non-flagellated unicells (Chlorophyceae): non-flagellated colonies

References:

http://cfb.unh.edu/phycokey/phycokey.htm

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/our-science/data/uk-species/species/oonephris_obesa.html

Hello, and welcome to Herbarium Et Obliti!  For those of you who aren't Latin buffs (I'm certainly not), Et Obliti translates to 'of the forgotten'.  While not technically forgotten, the organisms featured on this blog are certainly out of the public eye when it comes to life on this planet.  Lately it seems, if you don't have four feet and a cute face, you don't matter.  False, of course.  Not only have some of these organisms been around as long as life, they hold the key as to why the world around us operates as it does. 

Technically, I'm starting this for a college lab, but I'm leaving it open afterward.  It would be fun to see what I could find. 

Happy Hunting, and feel free to fact-check.