Bryophytes

The spores of Tayloria octoblepharum are dispersed by flies, which explains its preference for growing on animal dung. But it also grows on other surfaces, like this animal bone from the Otway Ranges. As well as playing host to the moss, the bone provided a convenient place for Jim Willis (1910–1995) to record his collecting notes.

The herbarium’s moss collections span over four centuries! New material is regularly added to the collection, ensuring that our understanding of moss diversity and ecology continues to grow. This specimen of Racomitrium pruinosum, or Hoary Fringe-Moss, was collected by bryologist and former Collections Manager, Pina Milne, at Mount Ruapehu in New Zealand.

One of Australia’s earliest bryophyte experts was Richard Bastow (1839–1920). He wrote extensively on mosses and was widely recognised for his contributions to science.

Bastow found great ‘beauty and mystery’ in the small plants, like this Cyathophorum bulbosum, or Quill Moss, collected from a gully in Tasmania, and professed that studying them was ‘laden with charms’.

Moss specimens are usually stored in packets but aquatic mosses, like this specimen of the Alpine Water-Moss, Fontinalis squamosa, are sometimes floated onto paper for preservation. It’s a technique that has certainly withstood the test of time: analysis of the handwriting and names on this specimen reveals that it was probably collected in the late 1500s!

Bryophytes don’t produce lignin – the stuff that makes the cell walls of larger plants strong and rigid.

Without it, they can’t grow very tall. The height record for bryophytes is held by Dawsonia superba, which can grow to an impressive 60 cm! This beauty was collected at Wilsons Promontory by Ferdinand Mueller in 1854.