I came across this type of Irish moss growing on the coast of California near a lighthouse. It seems to be at least 10X bigger than regular Irish moss. I thought that it was the environment that made it grow larger than normal, but I have been harvesting the seds for 3 years now and it continues to give extra large seeds and grow extra large. here I have pics of the two types of young Irish moss growing in the same pot, and the same age. Do I have a certain strand? Is there such a thing as Giant Irish moss? can anyone shed some light on this?
It isn't a moss at all, what you have there is Procumbent Pearlwort (Sagina procumbens). Moss of course has spores, not seeds.
Hmm... still confused. you were right about the plant on the left being pearlwort. and the scientific name Sagina is synonymous with that of irish moss, and Irish moss DOES have seeds. so where does that leave us? Irish moss is not really a moss at all?
You were given a botany lesson, sorry about that. I'd be curious to know if there are two varieties myself. Perhaps there is a polyploid form. Oops! there's that botany thing again. :-) Iris Moss is a flowering plant not a true moss. This is why I hate common names, they just confuse people. Regards Chris
so both types are not moss. (in all the garden stores I've been to it has the common name IRISH MOSS and it is always the smaller type) common names aside... from what I gather here are the two plant names in question: sagina procumbens and Sagina Subulata one is monster and one is mini. amazing. and I have seeds of both:):) Thanks Michael and Chris
By the way, to make matters more confusing, the name "Irish moss" is also the common name of a seaweed, which is also not a moss. It is a commercially important plant, though, being a source of the food additive carrageenan. When I started reading this thread, my initial thought was, "How do you get seaweed to grow in pots?"
There's several species in the genus Sagina; these are listed in the Flora Europaea: Sagina ambigua Sagina apetala - Annual Pearlwort Sagina boydii - Boyd's Pearlwort Sagina caespitosa Sagina filicaulis Sagina glabra Sagina maritima - Sea Pearlwort Sagina melitensis Sagina muscosa Sagina nivalis - Snow Pearlwort Sagina nodosa - Knotted Pearlwort Sagina pilifera Sagina procumbens - Procumbent Pearlwort Sagina pyrenaica Sagina revelieri Sagina sabuletorum Sagina saginoides - Alpine Pearlwort Sagina subulata - Heath Pearlwort That's an error (garden stores are forever making errors!!); the correct common name is Procumbent Pearlwort: http://internt.nhm.ac.uk/jobj/java/...&backtolisttype=search&searchlistvalue=Sagina
There are three problems with common names, and "Irish moss" illustrates all three. First, the same name gets applied to more than one plant. Sometimes, as with a pearlwort and a seaweed, the plants are not even closely related. Second, the same plant collects several names. Michael thinks there is a best common name for each species -- one that is widely accepted and reflects the plant's true standing among its fellow plants. Other people on this forum will disagree. How does the song go? I say "snapweed"; you say "bittercress" -- let's call the whole thing off. Finally, commom names will suggest family relationships that just do not exist. So, none of the Irish mosses are really mosses. Come to that, as a Portlander you may be shocked to learn that Douglas fir is not a true fir, western red cedar is not a true cedar, and mountain ash is not a true ash. (Michael would probably advise us to call it a rowan.) In contrast, botanical names are unique to each genus and species, each species should have only one true name (though scientists sometimes change the name when they discover a mistake in applying the naming rules, so some species end up with synonyms), and botanical names reflect accepted family relationships. The moral is, learn a few of the formal botanical names. You will find it avoids confusion when you talk with fellow gardeners, and incidentally you will learn a bit more about the plants. It's not as hard as it looks. Just pick them up one at a time, as you need them.
that's the one I began the thread to ask about. originally my question was not weather it was actually moss or not. It was if anyone knew what it was called. and everyone has been very gracious and helpful I'm from San Francisco Bay and I never saw it in stores or in nature until I found it covering an intire hillside in Pt. Reyes CA. I was astounded to find it exactly like its extremely common relative: Sagina subulata only over 10X bigger. I was always a big fan of the Sagina subulata and cultivated it for my bonsai, and met Sagina procumbens with childlike enthusiasm. Too bad, at the rate it reproduces its no wonder it is invasive in Seattle. if no one minds I'm still going to call it "Giant Irish Moss" LOL
