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Plant Identification
Posted:
Sun 03 Nov, 2013 6:44 pmby Giddy_up
Walking off track the other day (trip report coming) and on the side of a remote escarpment in SE QLD I found this little plant. I've never seen it before, any clues buy our "budding" botanists.
The first four pictures are of the plant, the last is roughly where it was growing.
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Sun 03 Nov, 2013 7:01 pmby icefest
I'm not a botanist.
Were there any conifers growing nearby? They look similar to radiata seedlings. (A bit more bushy though)
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Sun 03 Nov, 2013 7:10 pmby north-north-west
Looks like some sort of moss.
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Sun 03 Nov, 2013 7:15 pmby Giddy_up
No, the only other plants were grass trees and eucalypts etc....
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Sun 03 Nov, 2013 7:21 pmby greyim
club moss
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Sun 03 Nov, 2013 9:11 pmby MickyB
I also think it is a type of moss. Mabe in the Polytrichum or Dawsonia family. Personally, I don't think it is a club moss.
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Mon 04 Nov, 2013 9:19 amby nlt82
Where in SE QLD was it growing?
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Mon 04 Nov, 2013 9:40 amby calliejane24
I'm not a bryologist, so I can't speak as an expert on mosses (but I am a botanist/ecologist....only masochists become bryologists
).
This is one of the Dawsonia species - there are three species occurring in the SEQ region (
Dawsonia longiseta,
D. polytrichoides and
D. superba var.
pulchra). As far as I know,
Polytrichum commune (the only Polytrichum species recorded in Qld) doesn't extend into SEQ.
If you are feeling so inclined, you can key it out but I can guarantee it won't be much fun
http://www.anbg.gov.au/abrs/Mosses_online/48_Polytrichaceae.html
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Tue 05 Nov, 2013 10:15 amby Giddy_up
Thanks everyone for your input, very interesting plant and after looking at the Dawsonia I am going with that. This plant is definitely clumping, so does that mean it is a rare find for SEQ.
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Tue 05 Nov, 2013 11:21 amby MickyB
Giddy_up wrote:Thanks everyone for your input, very interesting plant and after looking at the Dawsonia I am going with that. This plant is definitely clumping, so does that mean it is a rare find for SEQ.
Not sure Giddy_up. I suggested Dawsonia or Polytrichum just by the look of it. Wasn't sure about the distribution of either. Hopefully calliejane24 has more of an idea.
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Wed 06 Nov, 2013 3:27 pmby calliejane24
Not particularly rare. Well, put it this way, they're not listed as such and they are reasonably common/locally common within their preferred growing situation. I'm not sure which species you have - the three species differ in height and leaf size, and it's a bit hard to get a sense of scale from the photo. Two of the species get to around 20 - 25 cm and the other (D. longiseta) reaches 5 cm. All grow in similar situations.
That's probably not much help in narrowing it down but they are very cool plants all the same
Re: Plant Identification
Posted:
Wed 06 Nov, 2013 6:32 pmby nq111
Giddy_up wrote:Thanks everyone for your input, very interesting plant and after looking at the Dawsonia I am going with that. This plant is definitely clumping, so does that mean it is a rare find for SEQ.
Yeah not really - i have seen them a fair bit in SEQ.
When dry they close up into little sticks so you only tend to notice them when it has been wet. Yours look half dry (closing up at the bottom).