Cratoneuron filicinum
Common names
moss
Biostatus
Native
Current conservation status
This is the first complete assessment of all known species of mosses found in the wild in Aotearoa New Zealand with a total of 560 species being assessed. The conservation status of mosses, published in the NZTCS database, replaces all previous assessments of mosses. Data supporting the 2025 NZTCS assessment of mosses has been published on the NZTCS database at https://nztcs.org.nz/reports/1155.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2025 | At Risk – Uncommon | Qualifiers: Sp, DPR, DPS, DPT, RR, SO
Category
Non-vascular
Structural class
Mosses
Detailed description
Erect or ascending yellowish moss of water saturated ground or growing within springs or on wet calcareous boulders and/or ultramafic substrates. Stems to 30 mm long, radiculose below, paraphyllia scant, rather regularly but not complanately pinnate, with short (up to 7 mm long) slender, flexuose branches. Leaves spreading to suberect, little altered when dry. Stem-leaves c.1 mm long; lamina ovate-cordate from a narrow decurrent base, gradually and finely acuminate; margins plane, rather finely denticulate; nerve of variably length but often contained well into acumen or nearly to apex; branch-leaves similar but smaller, ovate-lanceolate, acuminate. Cells 20-28 microns long and 3-5 x 1, smooth, elliptic-hexagonal to linear-rectangular; wider and subrectangular towards the basal angles, there sometimes enlarged and thin-walled, so as to form clearly decurrent auricles. Fruits not seen.
Distribution
Indigenous. New Zealand: North (Port Waikato, Kawhia, Tuhua (Mayor Island)), South (North West Nelson, Castlehill) and Chatham Islands. Cosmopolitan.
Habitat
Saxicolous on water saturated calcareous and ultramafic rocks, in pools of water or on water saturated soil.
Threats
Not Threatened. A naturally uncommon, biologically sparse species in New Zealand.
Detailed taxonomy
Genus
Family
Synonyms
Hypnum filicinum Hedw.; Amblystegium filicinum (Hedw.) de Not.
Endemic taxon
No
Endemic genus
No
Endemic family
No
Ecology
Fruiting
Fruits not known
Other information
Previous conservation statuses
This is the first complete assessment of all known species of mosses found in the wild in Aotearoa New Zealand with a total of 560 species being assessed. The conservation status of mosses, published in the NZTCS database, replaces all previous assessments of mosses. Data supporting the 2025 NZTCS assessment of mosses has been published on the NZTCS database at https://nztcs.org.nz/reports/1155.
Source: NZTCS and licensed by DOC for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence.
2014 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, SO
2010 | At Risk – Naturally Uncommon | Qualifiers: RR, SO
2005 | Sparse | Qualifiers: SO
Referencing and citations
References and further reading
Sainsbury, G.O.K. 1955: A handbook of the New Zealand mosses. Royal Society of New Zealand Bulletin 5.
Fact Sheet Prepared for NZPCN by: P.J. de Lange (30 May 2008). Description adapted from Sainsbury (1955).