Category Archives: Mosses

Towers built on turd – the Tayloria mosses

Posted on September 21, 2018 by David Tng

The human-made structures that we know as towers must have been inspired by mosses. Or maybe humans drew the idea for the design of towers from the superconscious, where the form of moss capsules are imprinted on the fabric of … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciation, Botany, Mosses, Must see plants, Plant Curios, Plant Morphology, Tasmanian plants | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Back to threads – the moss that is returning to an algae-like existence

Posted on September 13, 2018 by David Tng

Algae needs water to reproduce, and anyone who has seen a pond or kept a fishtank has knows of the green thread-like algae that grows of submerged rock or wood surfaces. So one of the major advances of mosses over … Continue reading →

Posted in Mosses, Must see plants, Plant Curios, Plant Morphology, Tasmanian plants | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Stalking the stalkless – discovering Acaulon

Posted on September 10, 2018 by David Tng

Few moments in moss hunting are as exciting as finding an ephemeral species. One such moment was years ago when I stumbled upon Acaulon (Acaulon integrifoium in this case) on a small exposed soil patch in a peri-urban park in Tasmania. … Continue reading →

Posted in Mosses, Must see plants, Tasmanian plants | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Call of Little Plants – a short Brazilian reverie

Posted on August 3, 2016 by David Tng

I have heard stories of magical creatures, crows, dears, bears – animals often featured in animistic and shamanistic themes. In such stories, people feel a close affinity with these animals, and attribute great personal significance to them. They might say … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciation, Brazil, Mosses, Plant Morphology | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Antarctic Beech veneration and moss bonanza

Posted on January 19, 2013 by David Tng

I am now at the midpoint of my great East Coast Odyssey 2013 and am in Brisbane where the inimitable Andrew Franks is based. 15 years ago, Andrew did his honours project on the mosses and related small plants that … Continue reading →

Posted in Collecting Plants, Gondwana, Mosses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Tropical Moss Mania in Far North Queensland

Posted on September 21, 2012 by David Tng

After the closing of the XII Australasian Bryophyte Workshop, my workshop high culminated in a feverish peak. My “bryophilitis” manifested itself in a post-workshop three-day moss mania in tropical far north Queensland. The Wet Tropics of Far North Queensland, Australia, … Continue reading →

Posted in Appreciation, Mosses, Tropical Australia | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

A workshop on mosses and allied plants in New South Wales

Posted on September 9, 2012 by David Tng

I have just returned from a 5 day workshop (2-7 Sept) on mosses and allied plants (the XII Australasian Bryological Workshop) organized by Chris Cargill and David Meagher. These workshops provide opportunities for people with an interest in small plants … Continue reading →

Posted in Mosses | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Almost a flowering plant – the masquerade of Gigaspermum

Posted on May 10, 2012 by David Tng

To the untrained eye it is possible to mistake certain flowering plants as mosses. In Tasmania I know of a few examples, particularly some of the alpine bristleworts, which are small and turfed, and even produce flowering stalks that superficially resemble … Continue reading →

Posted in Mosses, Must see plants, Tasmanian plants | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Making leaves in their own way – Treubia

Posted on May 2, 2012 by David Tng

Students of mosses (muscologists) have their agendas to see the Globe Moss when they come to Tasmania. For students of liverworts (a.k.a hepaticologists), Tasmania houses yet another bryological treasure – a genus of liverworts known as Treubia. Natural History Worldwide, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mosses, Must see plants, Plant Morphology, Tasmanian plants | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The moss that inspired the will to live

Posted on April 28, 2012 by David Tng

Every plant, even the most diminutive ones, have the potential to inspire and teach us. Here is the inspiring story of Mungo Park, a Scot who explored Africa in the late 1700’s. He was caught and imprisoned by Arabs, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Mosses, Philosophy | Tagged , , | Leave a comment