Columbian carpet moss (Bryoerythrophyllum columbianum) COSEWIC assessment and status report: chapter 8
Biology
Bryoerythrophyllum columbianum is a perennial, acrocarpous moss species that grows over soil in semi-arid shrub-steppe and grassland environments.
Sporophytes have been reported only once in Canadian populations (Collection 5). This possibly reflects the fact that male and female reproductive units are on separate plants, which appears to restrict sporophyte production in many moss species. This may be of increased importance in arid land habitats where the dry environment may restrict gamete and sporophyte production. Therefore, spores are probably of limited importance in the dispersal of this species, at least in Canada. It may disperse and colonize open soils by fragmentation of its fragile leaf tips as reported by Zander (2000).
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