{"id":272,"date":"2024-09-22T16:50:36","date_gmt":"2024-09-22T23:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/?p=272"},"modified":"2025-05-01T11:50:02","modified_gmt":"2025-05-01T18:50:02","slug":"juniper-haircap-moss-polytrichum-juniperinum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/2024\/09\/22\/juniper-haircap-moss-polytrichum-juniperinum\/","title":{"rendered":"Juniper haircap moss (Polytrichum juniperinum)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As we all learned in Botany 101, bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) differ from vascular plants (ferns, conifers, and flowering plants) in that they lack xylem and phloem (specialized vascular tissue) to transport water and sugary food, respectively. The Juniper haircap moss, and some other members of the genus Polytrichum<\/em>, bend this rule by having tiny tube-like cells (called hydroids) at the center of their stems for transporting water from their root-like rhizoids to their narrow leaves (technically called phyllids). These specialized cells help Juniper haircap moss grow up to 4 inches tall, which may not seem like much, but is quite large for a moss. Polytrichum juniperinum<\/em> often grows in loose clumps in relatively dry areas, and might be mistaken for a cluster of seedling conifers when the long-stalked capsules (the sporophyte generation of the plant) are not present to give them away as bryophytes. The ability of Juniper haircup moss to transport water more efficiently may help account for its wide distribution across every continent (even Antarctica), a feat matched by few other plant species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   The specimen shown here was co-collected by Noe and Betty Higinbotham, who were prolific bryophyte collectors for the Ownbey Herbarium from the late 1940s to the 1980s. Noe Higinbotham was on the WSU faculty as a plant physiologist (and served as chair of the Botany Department for many years), but also had research interests in algae and bryophyte ecophysiology. Betty Wilson Higinbotham married Noe after meeting him in graduate school at Butler University. While she never attained an academic appointment, Betty became a science editor, expert moss taxonomist, and was president of the American Bryological and Lichenological Society in the early 1960s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

   At least 1300 specimens collected by Noe and Betty have been accessioned in the WSU herbarium, accounting for about 10% of the total bryophyte collection. But another 5-10 thousand of their specimens are still in boxes in the herbarium, awaiting identification, labeling, and databasing. While the Higinbothams mostly collected in Washington and Idaho, they traveled widely and have numerous specimens from Canada, Germany, and Australia. After their death, the Higinbothams established a generous scholarship for WSU botany graduate students to assist with travel costs for their research – Walter Fertig, September 22, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Juniper<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we all learned in Botany 101, bryophytes (mosses, liverworts, and hornworts) differ from vascular plants (ferns, conifers, and flowering plants) in that they lack xylem and phloem (specialized vascular tissue) to transport water and sugary food, respectively. The Juniper haircap moss, and some other members of the genus Polytrichum, bend this rule by having […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":273,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"wsuwp_university_location":[],"wsuwp_university_org":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":459,"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272\/revisions\/459"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_location?post=272"},{"taxonomy":"wsuwp_university_org","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sbs.wsu.edu\/ownbeyherbarium\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsuwp_university_org?post=272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}