Peacock Moss - Taxiphyllum species "Peacock"

Introductions to Mosses

How to grow Aquatic Moss

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Java Moss - The Most Common Aquatic Moss

The Scientific Name of Java Moss

Aquamoss -> List of Aquatic Moss -> Peacock Moss

Another species of aquatic moss, which is very different from the other mosses such as Java Moss, Christmas Moss, or Taiwan Moss.

With the help of Dr Benito Tan, the moss has being identified to be belonging to the genus Taxiphyllum, which has a characteristic leaf cells that are narrowly oblong. You could see the details of the cells structures in the following pictures taken from a microscope.

Taxiplyllum sp. "Peacock Moss" - Cell Structure

The exact species name of the moss could not be determined for the moment since the actual location where this moss has been discovered was not known.

For now, I would like to name it Taxiphyllum sp. "Peacock" - or Peacock Moss for easier reference.

From my experience growing this Peacock Moss, it grows much better in cooler temperature at about 25°C. In higher temperature about 30°C, the moss starts to loose it peacock-shaped fronds.

Below are some pictures of the Peacock Moss, which shows how pretty the fronds spread out, which is quite similar to the display of a peacock.

The Peacock Moss is different from Christmas Moss in the sense that being from the genus of Taxiphyllum, it has a more softer and velvety texture, whereas the Christmas Moss, a Vesicularia species(Vesicularia montagnei), has a harder and rough texture. The overall effect of the Peacock Moss is much 'gentle' in a sense.

The following is a top view of the Peacock Moss, on the left, as compare to Taiwan Moss (another Taxiphyllum species), on the right.

One interesting thing I observed in growing the Peacock Moss is that from a single frond, the moss is very capable of branching out. The pictures below shows how the fronds has branched out to fill the container, which is about 15cm in diameter. It really can spread out like the fan of a peacock's tail.

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