clustered earth moss vs common greasewort

Ephemerum cohaerens compared with Aneura pinguis

Key Differences

• clustered earth moss is Not Evaluated while common greasewort is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clustered earth moss	common greasewort
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Bryophyta	Marchantiophyta (liverwort)
Class	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Jungermanniopsida (Jungermanniopsida)
Order	Pottiales (Pottiales)	Metzgeriales (Metzgeriales)
Family	Ephemeraceae	Aneuraceae
Genus	Ephemerum	Aneura
Species	Ephemerum cohaerens	Aneura pinguis

Evolutionary Relationship

clustered earth moss and common greasewort share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Plantae. (Plants)

Conservation Status

clustered earth moss

NE — Not Evaluated

common greasewort

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clustered earth moss	common greasewort
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

clustered earth moss

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway, Portugal, and United States.

common greasewort

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (Taiwan), Europe (6 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Brazil, Colombia).

clustered earth moss

Ephemerum cohaerens is a tiny, ephemeral moss in the family Pottiaceae (or Ephemeraceae, according to some classification schemes) with a distribution across Europe and North America. The genus Ephemerum consists of minute mosses that lack a persistent leafy gametophyte stage visible to the naked eye; instead, the dominant visible structure is the sporophyte, with the diminutive gametophytes bearing single stalked capsules close to the soil surface. E. cohaerens grows on moist, disturbed, bare soil in arable fields, garden beds, paths, and river margins. These ephemeral mosses are early colonizers of open mineral soils, completing their life cycle rapidly and then disappearing. They rely on conditions with minimal competition from taller vegetation. The species has not been formally evaluated by the IUCN for conservation status, reflecting the limited demographic data available for many bryophyte species. Ephemeral mosses of arable habitats are of some conservation interest in Europe, where intensification of agriculture has reduced the extent and frequency of winter-fallow bare soil conditions that these species require.

common greasewort

<em>Aneura pinguis</em>, commonly known as common greasewort, is a liverwort belonging to the genus Aneura within the family Aneuraceae. This cryptogamic plant inhabits ecosystems across Asia, Europe, and North America, thriving in moist or waterlogged environments. Its range encompasses Taiwan in Asia, six European countries, the United States in North America, and Brazil and Colombia in South America, indicating a broad geographic distribution across multiple continents. Common greasewort is assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. The species typically forms flat, ribbon-like thalli in damp habitats such as stream banks, wet rocks, and boggy ground. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal 🇺🇸 United States