clustered earth moss vs serrated earth moss

Ephemerum cohaerens compared with Ephemerum serratum

Key Differences

• clustered earth moss is Not Evaluated while serrated earth moss is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	clustered earth moss	serrated earth moss
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Bryophyta	Bryophyta
Class same	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)
Order same	Pottiales (Pottiales)	Pottiales (Pottiales)
Family same	Ephemeraceae	Ephemeraceae
Genus same	Ephemerum	Ephemerum
Species	Ephemerum cohaerens	Ephemerum serratum

Evolutionary Relationship

clustered earth moss and serrated earth moss share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Ephemerum.

Conservation Status

clustered earth moss

NE — Not Evaluated

serrated earth moss

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	clustered earth moss	serrated earth moss
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.

serrated earth moss

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇵🇹 Portugal