pioneers the burnt and disturbed ground
- Size
- Height: 1–3 cm
- Lifespan
- 1–3 years
- Diet
- Photosynthetic. Draws energy from sunlight. Requires open, sunny conditions and well-drained, acidic soil. Tolerates poor soils and drought.
- Habitat
- Grows on disturbed ground, burnt soil, and bare earth throughout New Zealand. A creature of the fresh start and burnt ground. Pioneer species appearing after fire.
- Range
- Found throughout North and South Islands on disturbed ground, burnt soil, and bare earth. Most common in areas with recent fire or disturbance. Also found worldwide.
- Endemism
- Native
- Main Threats
- None significant. Common and widespread in disturbed habitats. Localised threats include habitat loss from land development and fire suppression.
- Population
- Not Threatened. Common on disturbed ground, burnt soil, and bare earth throughout New Zealand. Widespread in disturbed habitats around the world.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
- Human Risk
- harmless
- Handling Note
- common moss, safe to handle
- Conservation Note
- Native moss; not assessed by NZTCS as bryophytes are generally outside the scope of current threat classifications.
- Te Ao Māori
- No recorded Māori name distinguishes funaria cord moss from other mosses. Mosses were generally called pūkohu or rimu. The moss that appeared on burnt ground would have been noticed. A sign that the land was healing. That life was returning after the fire. No distinct name survives. Not used as medicine or dye. Too small. Too ephemeral. Too much a creature of disturbed ground. Simply part of the cycle.
It does not wait for permission. Funaria hygrometrica shows up first after the fire. Its stems are short and upright. Reaching 1 to 3 centimetres in height. Leaves are arranged in a loose spiral around the stem. Pale green to yellowish-green. With a distinctive, twisted shape when dry. But the most distinctive feature is the sporophyte. The spore-producing structure. A nodding, pear-shaped capsule on a long, curved, reddish-brown stalk. The stalk is hygroscopic. It twists and untwists with changes in humidity. Coiling like a spring. Uncoiling when wet. This movement helps to disperse the spores. It is the moss of the fresh start. The one that turns up after fire like it heard the starting gun.
What makes it special is the speed. Funaria cord moss is one of the fastest-colonising mosses in New Zealand. It produces a huge number of spores. Can travel long distances. When a fire clears the ground, the spores germinate quickly. The moss can complete its life cycle in just a few weeks. It is the moss of the pioneer life. The one that races in when the starting gun fires. The one that turns bare, burnt ground into green life before anything else has a chance.
The leaves are pale green to yellowish-green. With a distinct midrib and a twisted shape when dry. The leaf margins are entire. Smooth. The leaf tip is sharp and pointed. When wet, the leaves relax and spread out. Revealing the stem beneath. This movement is an adaptation to conserve moisture. The leaves curling up to reduce water loss when the air is dry.
Biologically, it reproduces by spores released from the nodding, pear-shaped capsules. The capsules have a distinctive, bright yellow-green colour when young. Turning brown with age. When the capsule matures, a ring of teeth opens and closes with changes in humidity. Releasing the spores gradually.
To find funaria cord moss is to find the small, pale green tufts on the burnt ground. They are small and unassuming. But they are the first sign of life after the fire. It is the moss of the fresh start. The one that turns up after fire like it heard the starting gun. The one that proves that even after destruction, life finds a way. It adapts faster than expected.