Calliergonella cuspidata

Description

Calliergonella cuspidata is a widely distributed moss found in temperate climates, particularly in sunny to semi-shaded areas with rich nutrients and bases. It thrives in moderately moist to wet environments like wet meadows, ditches, marshes, and waterbody edges. This moss can also grow as a "weed" in garden and park lawns on compacted soil prone to waterlogging. In its emersed form, C. cuspidata forms yellowish-green to light green cushions or mats from long, stiff shoots with folded leaflets featuring a shiny, prickly tip. The leaflets are oval-lanceolate with short or absent double midribs and blunt tips that taper into a short point. Cultivated submersed, C. cuspidata grows upright under low light, producing less ramified shoots and dense leaves compared to its emersed form. It can be bound to rocks or driftwood but does not form rhizoids. This moss requires strong light, macronutrients, and CO2 for optimal growth. It is suitable for coldwater and warmwater tanks with temperatures up to 26 °C. C. cuspidata can establish easily in wet garden pond edges and bog gardens, growing mainly above the waterline on moist to wet soil. Its thick, light green mat-like structures give a natural touch to water gardens reminiscent of wild marshlands.