About Syntrichia ruralis var. ruraliformis (Besch.) Delogne
Syntrichia ruralis, commonly called twisted moss and star moss, is a moss species that belongs to the family Pottiaceae and has a cosmopolitan distribution. It can be found in North America, the Pacific region, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North and South Africa, South America, and Australia. It grows in a wide range of climate types, including the Arctic, boreal regions, temperate areas, and deserts. Its habitat types include tundra, coniferous forest, grassland, sagebrush steppe, and many others. This moss grows in tufts made up of erect stems that reach up to 4 centimeters in height. When wet, the moss is bright green and its leaves are loose. When it dries, its leaves wrap around the stem and the moss takes on a reddish brown color. Syntrichia ruralis is dioecious, and it can also reproduce via vegetative reproduction. Although it grows in many different habitat types, it is usually not a dominant species there. It can grow on many types of soil, but occurs most often on calcareous soils. It tolerates a range of elevations and sunlight levels. It may be one component of cryptogamic crusts. It helps to stabilize soil and reduce erosion. This moss can dry out and remain dormant for many years, regaining metabolic activity even after decades of desiccation. It is used as a model organism in research on desiccation. Within one hour of rehydration, it begins producing new proteins, and it carries out photosynthesis within two hours of rehydration.
