Neckera douglasii specimen taken in the field
Neckera douglasii is better known by its common name douglas neckera moss is a member of the class of true mosses or bryopsida the largest class of mosses (95% of mosses are members). This class of mosses is distinguished by having spore capsules with teeth that are separate from each other and jointed at the base where they attach to the opening of the capsule (inaturalist.com).
Classification:
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Bryophyta
Class: Bryopsida
Order: Hypnales
Family: Neckeraceae
Genus: Neckera
Species: douglasii
Range:
Douglas neckera moss can be found all throughout the Pacific Northwest coast from Northern California to Southern Alaska as well as some areas of Idaho and in the interior of BC. (Schofield,
Distribution map of Douglas neckera moss. Source: Schofield 2014
2014)
Habitat:
Neckera douglasii is primarily an epiphytic plant; a non-parasitic plant that grows on another plant that derives its nutrients and moisture from the air and rain and not the plant it is growing on. It can usually be found growing on the trunk and branches of trees (Schofield, 2014).
Other Attributes:
This species is often extremely abundant in humid coastal rainforests where it decorates the trunks and branches of small trees and shrubs. The naming of the genus of this plant was in honour of N.J. de Necker, an 18th-century German botanist. The species was named in honour of David Douglas, a well known, 19th-century Scottish plant explorer of western North America (Schofield, 2014)
Conservation Status:
Neckera douglasii is unlisted on the COSEWIC site and was assigned the colour yellow (secure) in the BC Red Blue list (Schofield, 2014).
Written By Cameron McClure
Bibliography:
Introduction to Bryophytes. (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://blogs.ubc.ca/biology321/?page_id=4866
Schofield, W. (2014, January 1). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia. Retrieved November 15, 2014, from http://linnet.geog.ubc.ca/Atlas/Atlas.aspx?sciname=Neckera douglasii
True Mosses (Class Bryopsida). (n.d.). Retrieved November 17, 2014, from http://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/48372-Bryopsida
Ring Creek Field Guide 