Bordered Screw-moss vs Colonial bentgrass

Tortula marginata compared with Agrostis capillaris

Key Differences

• Bordered Screw-moss is Endangered while Colonial bentgrass is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bordered Screw-moss	Colonial bentgrass
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Liliopsida (Monocots)
Order	Pottiales (Pottiales)	Poales (Grasses)
Family	Pottiaceae	Poaceae (Grass Family)
Genus	Tortula	Agrostis
Species	Tortula marginata	Agrostis capillaris

Evolutionary Relationship

Bordered Screw-moss and Colonial bentgrass share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

Conservation Status

Bordered Screw-moss

EN — Endangered

Colonial bentgrass

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bordered Screw-moss	Colonial bentgrass
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bordered Screw-moss

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Oceanian realms.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, and Portugal. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Colonial bentgrass

Habitat

Inhabits tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (8 countries), North America (Canada, Costa Rica, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand), and South America (5 countries).

Bordered Screw-moss

The Bordered Screw-moss (Tortula marginata) is a species in the genus Tortula. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, tundra, and tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests spanning the Australasia and Oceanian realms.

Colonial bentgrass

<em>Agrostis capillaris</em>, colonial bentgrass, is a perennial grass in the family Poaceae with an extensive native range across Europe and naturalised populations in North America, South America, and Oceania, including Australia and New Zealand. This species is highly adaptable, colonising tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, temperate grasslands, disturbed soils, roadsides, and cultivated landscapes within the Neotropical realm. It is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Colonial bentgrass is a fine-leaved, low-growing species often used in lawn and sports turf applications due to its tolerance for close mowing and its capacity to form dense, even swards. Its panicle inflorescences bear numerous small spikelets on delicate, hair-like branches, giving the species a feathery appearance when in flower. In its naturalised range, <em>Agrostis capillaris</em> can become invasive, competing with native grass species in acid grasslands and open heathlands. The species tolerates acidic and nutrient-poor soils, attributes that contribute to its widespread persistence in degraded landscapes. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇳🇿 New Zealand 🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal