River moss - River moss

Japanese: カワゴケ - かわごけ

A large aquatic moss belonging to the family Podocarpaceae. Widely distributed in the Northern Hemisphere, in Japan it grows in cold running water and ponds in Hokkaido and Honshu, forming large colonies on rocks at the bottom of the water. The plant is large and black-brown, with leaves somewhat sparsely arranged in three rows, narrowly ovate and lacking a midvein. The capsule is cylindrical with double rows of teeth, the inner teeth of which form a beautiful red mesh. F. antipyretica Hedw., a close relative of this species, grows in a similar environment, but differs in that the leaves fold down the middle to form a keel.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

カワゴケ科に属する大型の水生蘚類。北半球に広く分布し，日本では北海道と本州の冷たい流水中や池の中に生育し，水底の岩上に大きな群落をつくる。植物体は大きく黒褐色，葉はややまばらに3列につき，狭卵形で中央脈を欠く。蒴（さく）は円柱状で，蒴歯は複列で内蒴歯は紅色の美しい網目をなす。本種に近縁のクロカワゴケF.antipyretica Hedw.は同様な環境に生育するが，葉が中央で折れて竜骨をなす点で異なる。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Cladopus japonicus (river moss grass)

>>: Kawagoe Domain