Neomacounia nitida
Encyclopedia
Macoun's Shining Moss is an extinct moss
that was found only in a small area of Ontario
.
and capable of fertilizing itself.
The plant was an epiphyte
. It lived near the base of tree trunks of various species of elm
and cedar
that grew in swampy areas. The only known location where this species occurred was in three locales near Belleville, Ontario
.
genus Neomacounia. Not all bryologists accept that it is in a monotypic genus, or that it should be placed in the family Neckeraceae
. Most recent publications accept the current classification of Macoun's Shining Moss. The common name honours John Macoun
.
This species is the only known endemic Canadian plant to go extinct since the 16th century.
Moss
Mosses are small, soft plants that are typically 1–10 cm tall, though some species are much larger. They commonly grow close together in clumps or mats in damp or shady locations. They do not have flowers or seeds, and their simple leaves cover the thin wiry stems...
that was found only in a small area of Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
Biology
Macoun's Shining Moss was a large bryophyte with long greenish-brown tufts. The tufts were shiny and up to 6 cm long. The moss was hermaphroditicPlant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
and capable of fertilizing itself.
The plant was an epiphyte
Epiphyte
An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...
. It lived near the base of tree trunks of various species of elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
and cedar
Cedar wood
Cedar wood comes from several different trees that grow in different parts of the world, and may have different uses.* California incense-cedar, from Calocedrus decurrens, is the primary type of wood used for making pencils...
that grew in swampy areas. The only known location where this species occurred was in three locales near Belleville, Ontario
Belleville, Ontario
Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in Southern Ontario, Canada, in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor. It is the seat of Hastings County, but is politically independent of it. and the centre of the Bay of Quinte Region...
.
Taxonomy
The species was originally described as Forsstroemia nitida. In 1974, it was reclassified in the monotypicMonotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
genus Neomacounia. Not all bryologists accept that it is in a monotypic genus, or that it should be placed in the family Neckeraceae
Neckeraceae
Neckeraceae is a moss family in the order Hypnales.-Classification:The Neckeraceae includes the following genera:...
. Most recent publications accept the current classification of Macoun's Shining Moss. The common name honours John Macoun
John Macoun
John Macoun was an Irish-born Canadian naturalist.- Early life :Macoun was born in Magheralin, County Down, Ireland in 1831, the third child of James Macoun and Anne Jane Nevin. In 1850 the worsening economic situation in Ireland led his family to emigrate to Canada, where he settled in Seymour...
.
Extinction
The area where the samples were found was clear-cut between 1864 and 1892, implying that the species went extinct due to habitat loss during that time. Searches and surveys looking for the species were conducted in 1972 and 2001. They failed to find any evidence for the species' continued existence.This species is the only known endemic Canadian plant to go extinct since the 16th century.