# Anyone want to give me a guess on what this is?



## killiedave57 (Dec 25, 2014)

a friend gave me this piece of "moss" a week or so ago... it was in amongst what she bought as
"java moss" ?????
I told her it was definately not java moss, but not sure exactly what it is....

what I can tell you...

it is a much darker green color
it is/has a coarse textured feeling, almost "wirey", instead of softer feel to it.

I thought, possibly cameroon moss, but not sure... a

anyone want to guess.....
thanks
david


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## killiedave57 (Dec 25, 2014)

hello?????
anyone?


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

If "Cameroon moss" = Plagiochila sp. "Cameroon": no, it's not. It looks to me like a Vesicularia of some kind. There are several similar Vesicularia types in the hobby, and I fear that a reliable ID of the species is hardly possible.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

p.s. The first moss that appeared in the aquarium hobby under the name "Java moss" long time ago was really _Vesicularia dubyana_. Later widely replaced by _Taxiphyllum barbieri_ that's nowadays the common "Java moss" and was also taken for V. dubyana.
But this moss in question may be different from V. dubyana.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

There was a moss going around some time ago by the name "Christmas Moss". I had it for awhile and it looked just like that. I never did try to figure out the genus/species, though.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

One "Christmas moss" was IDed by Prof. B.C. Tan as Vesicularia montagnei in 2005, but there are indeed several different moss species around with the label "Christmas moss", I couldn't find out which Vesicularias except montagnei. One "Christmas", available in Europe, is not even a Vesicularia but seemingly a Taxiphyllum... aquarium moss ID is quite futile in many cases, there are too many unIDed species around without known origin, too few experts for tropical mosses, and unfortunately the genera Vesicularia and Taxiphyllum aren't yet revised on a worldwide basis.


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## miremonster (Mar 26, 2006)

p.s.
I don't exclude that your moss is indeed Vesicularia montagnei, the overall look matches that species. But I can't be really sure.


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