Ceratodon purpureus is a dioicous moss with a color ranging from yellow-green to red. The height amounts to 3 centimeters. It is found worldwide, mainly in urban areas and next to roads on dry sand soils. It can grow in a very wide variety of habitats, from polluted highway shoulders and mine tailings to areas recently denuded by wildfire to the bright slopes of Antarctica. Its common names include fire moss, redshank, purple forkmoss, ceratodon moss, and purple horn toothed moss.
Description
Fire moss is a short moss that forms dense tufts or sometimes cushions. The stems are erect, usually about 0.5 inch (1.3 cm) long. The upper 0.19 inch (0.5 cm) is current year's growth; often slightly branched by forking at the tip of the old growth. The stems sometimes become 2.4 to 3.1 inches (7–8 cm) long in shaded places. Leaves are short and hairlike, spreading when moist; somewhat folded or twisted when dry.
Fire moss contains photoprotective pigments, which are a useful adaptation for the bright Antarctic environment. Leaf pigment varies from green to ginger.
