$8.00 (Free to Members) Vol. 31, No. 3 July 2003 FREMONTIA A JOURNAL OF THE CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY IN THIS ISSUE: A CONVERSATION ABOUT MOSSES, LIVERWORTS, AND HORNWORTS by Dan Norris 5 MOSS GEOGRAPHY AND FLORISTICS IN CALIFORNIA by James R. Shevock 12 THE ROLE OF THE AMATEUR IN BRYOLOGY: TALES OF AN AMATEUR BRYOLOGIST by Kenneth Kellman 21 MOSSES IN THE DESERT? by Lloyd R. Stark 26 THE BIOLOGY OF BRYOPHYTES, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO WATER by Brent D. Mishler 34 VOLUME 31:3, JULY 2003 FREMONTIA 1 SPECIAL ISSUE: BRYOPHYTES CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY FREMONTIA www.cnps.org MEMBERSHIP VOL. 31, NO. 3, JULY 2003 Dues include subscriptions to Fremontia and the Bulletin. Copyright © 2003 Mariposa Lily . $1,000 Supporting . $75 California Native Plant Society Benefactor . $500 Family, Group, International . $45 Patron . $250 Individual or Library . $35 Linda Ann Vorobik, Editor Plant Lover . $100 Student/Retired/Limited Income . $20 Daniel Norris & James R. Shevock, Convening Editors CONTACTS CHAPTER COUNCIL Bob Hass, Copy Editor CNPS, 2707 K Street, Suite 1 Alta Peak (Tulare) . Joan Stewart Beth Hansen-Winter, Designer Sacramento, CA 95816-5113 Bristlecone (Inyo-Mono) . (916) 447-CNPS (2677) Stephen Ingram CALIFORNIA NATIVE Fax: (916) 447-2727 Channel Islands . Lynne Kada PLANT SOCIETY [email protected] Dorothy King Young (Mendocino/ Sonoma Coast) . Lori Hubbart Dedicated to the Preservation of Sacramento Office Staff: East Bay . Tony Morosco the California Native Flora Executive Director . Pamela C. El Dorado . Amy Hoffman Muick, PhD Kern County . Laura Stockton The California Native Plant Society Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mtns . Development Director . Michael (CNPS) is an organization of lay- Betsey Landis Tomlinson persons and professionals united by an Marin County . Bob Soost interest in the native plants of Cali- Membership Coordinator . Marin Milo Baker (Sonoma County) . fornia and is open to all. Its principal Lemieux Reny Parker aims are to preserve the native flora Sales Manager . Paul Maas Mojave Desert . Tim Thomas and add to the knowledge of members Bookkeeper . Lois Cunningham Monterey Bay . Julie Anne Delgado and the public at large by monitoring Mount Lassen . Jim Bishop rare and endangered plants throughout Fremontia Editor . Linda Ann Napa Valley . Marcie Danner the state; by acting to save endangered Vorobik, PhD North Coast . Larry Levine North San Joaquin . Bob Barzan areas through publicity, persuasion, Sr. Policy Analyst . Emily Orange County . Daniel Songster and on occasion, legal action; by pro- Roberson, PhD viding expert testimony to government Redbud (Grass Valley/Auburn) . So. California Regional Botanist . Richard Hanes bodies; and by supporting financially Ileene Anderson Riverside/San Bernardino counties . and otherwise the establishment of Rare Plant Botanist . Dave Tibor Katie Barrows native plant preserves. Much of this Vegetation Ecologist . Julie Evens Sacramento Valley . Diana Hickson work is done by volunteers through San Diego . Carrie Schneider CNPS Chapters throughout the state. Vegetation Ecologist . Anne Klein San Bruno Mtn. Project Coordinator San Gabriel Mtns . Lyn McAfee The Society’s educational work in- San Luis Obispo . Dirk Walters Mary Petrilli cludes: publication of a quarterly jour- Sanhedrin (Ukiah) . Chuck Williams nal, Fremontia, and a quarterly Bulletin Legislative Advocate .Vern Goehring Santa Clara Valley . Mary Simpson which gives news and announcements Legal Advisor . Sandy McCoy Santa Cruz County . Janell Hillman of Society events and conservation Website Coordinator . Carol Witham Sequoia (Fresno) . Marion Orvis issues. Chapters hold meetings, field Bulletin Editor . Michael Tomlinson Shasta . Dave DuBose trips, and plant and poster sales. Non- Sierra Foothills (Tuolumne, Cala- members are welcome to attend. BOARD OF DIRECTORS veras, Mariposa) . Patrick Stone South Coast (Palos Verdes) . Money is provided through member Directors: dues and funds raised by chapter plant Barbara Sattler and poster sales. Additional donations, Carol Baird, Sue Britting, Steve Tahoe . Michael Hogan Hartman, Lori Hubbart, Lynne Kada, bequests, and memorial gifts from Willis L. Jepson (Solano) . Betsey Landis, David L. Magney, friends of the Society can assist greatly Mary Shaw Sandy McCoy, Patt McDaniel, J. Yerba Buena (San Francisco) . in carrying forward the work of the Spence McIntyre, Carol Witham Randy Zebell Society. Dues and donations are tax- deductible. MATERIALS FOR PUBLICATION Members and others are invited to submit material for publication in Fremontia. Fremontia logo (by L.A. Vorobik) reprinted Instructions for contributors can be found on the CNPS website, www.cnps.org, from The Jepson Manual, J. Hickman, or can be requested from Fremontia Editor, Linda Ann Vorobik, vorobik@rock Ed., 1993, with permission from the island.com, or c/o University and Jepson Herbaria, 1001 Valley Life Sciences Bldg. Jepson Herbarium, UC. © Regents of the #2465, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2465. University of California. Prepress by ScanArt / Printed by Craftsman Trade Press 2 FREMONTIA VOLUME 31:3, JULY 2003 CONTENTS GUEST EDITORIAL ............................................................................................. 4 A CONVERSATION ABOUT MOSSES, LIVERWORTS, AND HORNWORTS by Daniel Norris ....................................................................5 Through a series of frequently asked questions, Daniel Norris, who taught bryology for years, provides an introduction to the bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts), as well as discussing some fascinating features of these small green plants. MOSS GEOGRAPHY AND FLORISTICS IN CALIFORNIA by James R. Shevock .......................................................................................... 12 Be amazed at the great diversity of mosses in California, the habitats in which they grow, and moss geography, along with a history of moss collecting in California, as you read this article written by one of California’s premier moss authorities. Then consider the fact that mosses new to California, including new species, are continually being discovered. THE ROLE OF THE AMATEUR IN BRYOLOGY: TALES OF AN AMATEUR BRYOLOGIST by Kenneth Kellman .................................. 21 Experience this journey of a commercial air conditioning mechanic with a fledgling interest 19 in mosses, to an amateur bryologist who is authoring a “Catalog of the Mosses of Santa Cruz County”! Ken Kellman shares his joy of learning more about mosses, along with tools, resources, and encouragement for others who may wish to travel this same road. MOSSES IN THE DESERT? by Lloyd R. Stark .......................................... 26 Most of us think of mosses as being only abundant in wet habitats, festooning trees, or carpeting rocks and logs. In this article the author transforms these stereotypical images by writing of the many mosses of California deserts and where one finds them, along with many fascinating reproductive strategies employed by mosses surviving in such extreme habitats. THE BIOLOGY OF BRYOPHYTES, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO WATER by Brent D. Mishler ............................... 34 Brent Mishler discusses the evolutionary history of bryophytes, and the physiological aspects of these plants that define where and how they live, with particular emphasis on mosses and water. FROM THE ARCHIVES ...................................................................................... 39 NOTES AND COMMENTS ................................................................................ 40 BOOK REVIEWS ................................................................................................. 41 THE COVER: Gametophytes (green haploid generation) of Polytrichum commune, haircap moss. Photograph by M. Hutten. All images in this issue by M. Hutten unless credited otherwise. See this issue in color at www.cnps.org. VOLUME 31:3, JULY 2003 FREMONTIA 3 GUEST EDITORIAL USEFUL WEBSITES AND CONTACT Ihave come to increasingly appreciate the abundance of opportunity to ex- INFORMATION plore and learn from the natural world. Why do I invest so much time and Bryophyte websites: energy in the study of plants? The answer is quite simple: it is fascinating. I learn See “Notes and Comments,” p. 34 something new almost every day. I can’t wait for my next hike where I might California Native Plant make an acquaintance with a new flower, and now, with each new bryophyte. Society: Botanical exploration has been both a journey toward intellectual enrichment as www.cnps.org, with links to conservation issues, chapters, well as my “mental health care package.” While our lives continue to become publications, policy, etc. more complex in our high-tech environment, we still have the opportunity to To sign up for “NPCC News,” e-mail news on native plant study nature and be amazed at the infinite ways in which it works. Several col- science and conservation, send leagues have asked me why I became interested in learning about the bryophytes. a request to [email protected]. The answer is not readily pinpointed, but as the following articles attempt to For updates on conservation convey, the bryophytes are, simply stated, a remarkable group of land plants. issues: They are worthy of our attention. Audubon Society www.audubon.org When we consider the rate of habitat conversion caused by various land-use Center for Biological Diversity www.sw-center.org practices, along with the growing population that continually impacts the Cali- Natural Resources