# Planted Tanks > Plant Talk > Aquatic Moss Club >  The names of the various mosses in Singapore

## timebomb

> Does anyone know the scientific name of the various Mosses ? My Aquarium Plant Handbook only gives the name for Java and Willow Moss.


Hi, fellas,

Several months ago, I wrote an article about the names of the various mosses sold in local fish shops. That article, archived in AQ, was hastily written. Since then, I have learnt a few more things about mosses. I've written another article here because this question about mosses names has come up time and again on many forums. It's a topic that has puzzled many hobbyists. 

As far as I know, there are something like 4000 different species of mosses so until you give some samples to an expert - a bryologist or someone who knows how to tell the difference between mosses - we will never know the scientific names. I don't know the correct names too but I can tell you a bit about the history of the various mosses found in our local fish shops. Actually, the names of the mosses depend a lot on who's doing the calling :wink:

I'm probably the only one around qualified to tell you the history because I've been in this hobby for more than 30 years and I'm old. You know you're old when every other conversation you start begins with the phrase.

In the old days,  :Laughing:   :Laughing: 

before there was a "planted tank" scene, there was only one moss - Java Moss (scientific name: _Vesicularia dubyana_). In those days, hardly any fish shop sells aquatic plants so even Java Moss was difficult to find. There's no doubt about the identity and scientific name of Java Moss. If any fish shop owner tells you otherwise, ignore him; he's either bluffing you or he doesnt know what hes talking about. 

In 1996 or thereabouts, there was a fish shop named "Crowntol" along Roberts' Lane. The display tanks in Crowntol's were the most beautiful planted tanks ever. Up till this day, I've not seen more beautiful tanks. I spent many weekends visiting Crowntol ogling at their tanks. They had in one of their display tanks a moss wall. The moss looks nothing like Java but has very well-defined triangular shapes. The fronds hang down. I tried a couple of times to obtain some of this moss but couldn't. They won't sell unless you buy the whole setup. I'm just a stingy hobbyist so I wasn't prepared to pay a few thousand dollars buying a tank just to get my hands on some moss. I didn't know the name of the moss then so I called it "Christmas Moss" because the fronds, when hanging down, look like a Christmas tree. Unknown to me then, the good folks in Crowntol call the moss "3 Sided Moss" in Mandarin. In English, it would translate into "Triangular Moss". For a long time, I hunted high and low for the "3 sided Moss". I asked many fish shop owners/aquatic plant importers for help but not only they couldn't help me, almost all of them have never even heard of the plant, much less seen it. 

Until one day, when I bought some Java Moss, I discovered within the bunch some strange looking fronds which I realised to be the moss I was looking for - "Christmas Moss". I managed, from about 4 fronds, to grow heaps of them. In the last few years, I must have given away several kilograms of "Christmas Moss". The "Christmas" name eventually became more popular than the "Triangular" name because of the power of the internet. Credence was also given to the "Christmas" name after my friend, James Lim, the publisher of the AquaJournal used this name in one of his magazines. James thought then, that the moss was "Amazonion Willow Moss" but I believe he made a mistake. 

A few years after the internet came to Singapore, a "planted tank" scene started to thrive and many fish shops in Singapore began selling aquatic plants. Crowntol went out of business but many other fish shops sold a new moss. Like the "Christmas Moss", this new moss was also from Taiwan. It looks very much like the "Christmas" but the shapes of the fronds were less triangular. It became known as the "Taiwan Moss". An enterprising hobbyist began selling stuff over the internet and he gave a new name to the "Taiwan Moss". He called it "Mini Moss". I have reasons to believe now that both the Taiwan Moss and Mini Moss are actually Christmas Moss. They dont look like Christmas because they were grown poorly. Unlike the people at Crowntols who were really good with aquatic plants, the other fish shops and hobbyists who sold the plant never achieved the triangular shapes which the Christmas Moss would have displayed if they were grown well. 

In the year 2002, I met a group of hobbyists and one of them, Choy Heng Wah, gave me some moss which he and Ben Yau found along a stream in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. They called the plant, Bukit Timah Moss. A few months after that, Kim Cheng, another hobbyist living in Singapore stumbled upon some moss growing on a patch of ground somewhere in his housing estate. He named it HDB Moss. He gave me some of this moss too and it looks to me exactly the same as the Bukit Timah Moss. I could be wrong about this but the Bukit Timah and HDB Moss are probably Willow Moss grown emmersed.

Not so long ago, Sam Yick, a well-known fish shop in Singapore began selling a moss which looks entirely different from the other mosses in the market. Unlike other mosses which hang down, this one grows straight up. In discussions on various forums, this moss was always described as Sam Yicks Moss or Upward-Growing Moss. I didnt like the former name because I dont think it is right to name a plant after a fish shop. As for the latter, it was too cumbersome. So I proposed a new name for it. I call it Erect Moss. Some people think the name is obscene but I think it describes the moss perfectly :wink:

To sum it up,

1. Java Moss (_Vesicularia dubyana_) - no doubts about the identity and scientific name of this plant.
2. Christmas Moss - no one knows the scientific name but it is also Taiwan and Mini Moss.
3. Willow Moss (_Fontainalis antipyretica_) - Probably is also Bukit Timah and HDB Moss.
4. Erect Moss - no scientific name but it is also known as "Phoenix's Tail Moss" in Mandarin.

To see pictures of the various mosses, go to:
http://www.killies.com/Killieplants.htm

Loh K L

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## hwchoy

> In the year 2002, I met a group of hobbyists and one of them, Choy Heng Wah, gave me some moss which he and Ben Yau found along a stream in the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. They called the plant, Bukit Timah Moss. 
> Loh K L


heh, great story, you should link in the moss pictures.

Just for the record, the Bukit Timah moss was found by Ben somewhere in Dairy Farm Estate, not in the reserve (as you all know, and should abide with, plants are *NOT* to be removed from the Reserve  :Cool:  ). I was just the kaypoh who helped to pass it around and trumpet the name of Bukit Timah Moss (I even send it to someone in the UK, last I heard it was doing great).

Wish I had taken a picture of the Bukit Timah Moss grown side-by-side with the Christmas Moss.

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## timebomb

> Wish I had taken a picture of the Bukit Timah Moss grown side-by-side with the Christmas Moss.


Choy, I've got a picture of the HDB Moss (emmersed form) which Kim Cheng gave me. It looks like your Bukit Timah Moss.



Loh K L

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## hwchoy

There seem to be two growth form of the Bukit Timah moss. The one you showed are probably semi-submersed form, when fully emersed it is very similar to the Christmas moss, but quite definitely different when grown side-by-side. I would not be surprised if the HDB moss is the same plant as the Bukit Timah moss though. I have seen both this form ("robust" form) as well as the Christmas-lilke form on the same plant given to me by Ben.

Do you have a picture of the HDB moss planted submersed?

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## timebomb

Choy, first of all, I have to respectfully ask you not to quote messages in full when you reply to them. You quoted the whole of my post which meant the picture I posted appeared twice in the same thread. I've already edited your post so the picture no longer appears twice. I've also deleted the quoted text entirely. Please take note that if you have to quote, please quote only what is relevant. In many instances, there's really no necessity to quote anything at all. Just like what I've done with this post :wink:

The Bukit Timah and HDB Moss does look like Christmas when they are grown submersed. I saw the former in Peter Chua's tanks and they have slight triangular fronds. But it's sometimes very hard to tell mosses apart as they take on different shapes when grown under different conditions. I wouldn't have been able to identify Christmas Moss in its emmersed form if I hadn't grown them that way myself. When emmersed, the Christmas loses its triangular shapes altogether.

I'm afraid I no longer have the HDB moss which Kim Cheng gave me. I also didn't manage to grow them submersed successfully. I was busy with many things at that time, one of which was building this web site.

But I know Kim Cheng found the HDB moss near Woodlands MRT station. So if any of you lives around there, maybe you should take a closer look at the patches of green growing in between the cracks of the footpaths the next time you're there.

Loh K L

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## TS168

Thanks Mr Loh,

It a very good and informative for hobbist who are interested in history of plant and fish.
You have done a good job in providing a well Online lesson to all of us.

Cheers. 
Teck Song

By the way, i think i have another moss, trying to grow it, It in strand but it curlly. I try in on a small mess and it start to grow new buds.

Infact i only have a few strand that the LFS owner give it to me together with the purchase of xmass moss. The moss is in very short strand of about 1-3cm long. Frankly speaking i have not seen it on Internet or in any LFS i have travell around in singapore. Maybe i m wrong and it could be another ordinary moss. haha.

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## Green Baron

> .. Kim Cheng, another hobbyist living in Singapore stumbled upon some moss growing on a patch of ground somewhere in his housing estate. He named it HDB Moss. He gave me some of this moss too and it looks to me exactly the same as the Bukit Timah Moss. I could be wrong about this but the Bukit Timah and HDB Moss are probably Willow Moss grown emmersed.


Recently, during the raining season, I digged up a patch of moss in the garden of my estate and grew them submersed at 27C and they started developing triangular fronds. Attached is a photo of the moss.



I have since transferred them tp my office tank (as the temerature there is lower) and attached them to a piece of drift wood. I will take more pictures once they grow more fronds.

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## timebomb

> Recently, during the raining season, I digged up a patch of moss in the garden of my estate and grew them submersed and they started developing triangular fronds.


Gan, I know you live somewhere in the West Coast area so it seems like the Bukit Timah/HDB moss could be found in many places in Singapore. It could be we weren't looking hard enough; the moss could be everywhere. 




> By the way, i think i have another moss, trying to grow it, It in strand but it curlly. I try in on a small mess and it start to grow new buds.
> Infact i only have a few strand that the LFS owner give it to me together with the purchase of xmass moss.


Where did you buy the moss from, Teck Song? I know Eco-Culture brought in a new moss recently that is really expensive. Did you buy the moss there? When you say buds, do you mean those brown stalks shaped like commas that stick out from the moss? If you like to know, they are known as capsules and they carry the spores the moss use to propagate themselves.

Loh K L

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## Green Baron

> Gan, I know you live somewhere in the West Coast area so it seems like the Bukit Timah/HDB moss could be found in many places in Singapore. It could be we weren't looking hard enough; the moss could be everywhere.


The moss is all over my condo ! Maybe Xmas moss is all over Singapore and we don't see the triangular shapre becasue they grow emersed.
I just remember I took a photo of the moss to observe the growth. I have inserted the photo in my earlier post.

Gan

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## TS168

I got it from my neighbourhood LFS. He let me have it because he does not wish to take out from the xmass moss. And he also allow me to try it out. Infact he do not sell that moss in his shop. Maybe can still find some mix with his other moss grow on branch. hehe.

I have another wierd Java Moss he sold to me. when i got it, it was grow on a metal mesh n net. When i try to take out it all in single strand and very different from Java moss i seen in any LFS or on the NET..
He sold me that time it was already growing ...


This one i also trying to grow it but not very good.  :Sad: 

If got chance i would like to bring over to let u see. not sure if by afew strand will u mind? I worry later when u see, u will laugh at me. 

I have try taking pic of it but my cam not good. and it abit blur. 
http://www30.brinkster.com/owts/pic/unknowMoss1.jpg
U try to see if u seen this. sorry.

There are hundred of moss around if i not wrong.

Thanks
Best Regards
Teck Song

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## hwchoy

> Gan, I know you live somewhere in the West Coast area so it seems like the Bukit Timah/HDB moss could be found in many places in Singapore. It could be we weren't looking hard enough; the moss could be everywhere. 
> Loh K L


this could well be true. after all mosses are common. I recently have a patch of moss growing on damp soil in a flower trough. I took a close-up (not sure if I still have the pic) and they look like miniature pine trees. I didn't try to grow them submersed, I need to add another woman in the house before trying it again.  :Rolling Eyes:   :Laughing:  

But I like the name Bukit Timah moss, named after our Nature Reserve. :wink: Of course the fact that I coined it has absolutely no bearing at all.  :Cool:

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## timebomb

> I have another wierd Java Moss he sold to me.


Teck Song, I *stole* the picture of your weird Moss and uploaded it on my server so that everyone can see it here. Please don't sue me  :Laughing: 



I think what you have is not a Moss but a Liverwort. I've seen this plant in my own tanks. I don't know where they come from but I once had a bunch of them sprouting out from a piece of driftwood from among the roots of my Windelov. I believe the Moss which Sia Meng found in Malaysia is also the same plant as yours.

Loh K L

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## TS168

Thanks Mr Loh, Not a problem to take the pic. As long as this site can continue to provide an education platform for all.

If it liverwort, can anyone show me a pic or profile of this plant.

As i check on web i was not able to link liverwort with this as mine is growing and have new stem growing out from it stem. Does other Liverwort do so, cause i read on web it belong to the family of alage and it one of the early plant on earth. hehe. 

Let wait for Sia Meng to let us know if his is same as mine. Cheers.

A very informative website about singapore Fish history ....
Not sure how many have surf it before, got it from another forum.
http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/guidebooks/freshfish/

THanks for the information...

Best Regards
Teck Song

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## eric_kclee

> 4. Erect Moss - no scientific name but it is also known as "Phoenix's Tail Moss" in Mandarin.
> Loh K L


Mr Loh,

From what I learned, Pheonix's Tail Moss should be referring to Fissidens SP. like the moss in the picture. Chinese name: Feng Wei Tai. Correct me if I am wrong...Thanks

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## timebomb

Eric,

The moss in the picture you posted seems to exhibit a similar growth pattern to the Erect Moss I have in my tanks. But I have a poor eye for details so I can't tell for sure if they are the same. It's also hard to compare as the moss in your pic is grown emmersed while mine are submersed. I took a strand of Erect from my tanks, spread out the fronds and took its picture. Here it is:



Are they the same? Maybe the only way to tell for sure if to grow my Erect emmersed. If only I can find the time  :Crying: 

I also managed to find a picture of a moss which Ben Yau aka Subzero sent to me a couple of weeks back. He found this moss somewhere in the Bukit Timah area. It definitely is the same as the one Kim Cheng found in Woodlands.



Loh K L

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## timebomb

> If it liverwort, can anyone show me a pic or profile of this plant.


Here are pictures of 2 Liverworts, one is the _Riccia fluitans_ commonly found in many fish shops and the other is the plant formerly known as _Pellia endiviifolia_, now called _Monosolenium tenerum_.





Teck Song, I think I was wrong when I said your moss could be a Liverwort. I thought the strand you showed looks like the _Monosolenium tenerum_ but comparing the pics now, I think yours is a moss too.

Loh K L

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## timebomb

To confuse you all furthur  :Laughing: ,

I was at Teo's Aquatics Plant Farm the other day and Mr Teo generously gave me a Moss growing on a piece of driftwood. He said it was Willow Moss. Here's a pic:



Loh K L

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## TS168

Thanks All.

Willow moss can be found at NA. There a willow Moss tank there. 

Think this website/forum will be the best MOSS website for Information.

Maybe it will become one of the best reference one day if we can get all sort of Moss profile and Pic here.

Cheers.
Teck Song

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## aquaturbo

> To confuse you all furthur ,
> 
> I was at Teo's Aquatics Plant Farm the other day and Mr Teo generously gave me a Moss growing on a piece of driftwood. He said it was Willow Moss. 
> 
> Loh K L


To confuse you all even further:

This is a new stringy erect moss I have:



This is how it grows in my small betta tank with java moss and Xmas moss:



This is a comparision of the different moss:
Xmas/Taiwan moss, Java moss, Stringy erect moss:



Tan SW

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## A.Rashid

Holly Moses... now I am confused with all the new species of mosses...

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## timebomb

> This is a new stringy erect moss I have


Tan SW, 

I'm most probably wrong but I think what you have is not a moss but a species of Utricularia, a plant more commonly known as Bladderwort.

Loh K L

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## aquaturbo

> I'm most probably wrong but I think what you have is not a moss but a species of Utricularia, a plant more commonly known as Bladderwort.
> Loh K L


I also happen to have a kind of Utricularia with me. Below is the picture for comparison. You can see that it is lighter green, and you can also find some traps on the plant. FYI, the bladderwort is on the left. 




Believe me, though the Stringy Erect Moss may looks delicate like the Utricularia , the actual plant is much more tougher.

So KL, you are probably right that you were wrong.  :Smile: 


Tan SW

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## imported_subzero

Contributing to the list here, i found another one near a forest stream(which might be quite common and could be found elsewhere in singapore). The small rock has green patches and is wet when i picked them up. It has been 4 months now since i submerse it into my tank and green leaflet can be seen from the the rocks. Could i wrong that it is a type of a moss(Moss ball)? Or could it be some sort of algae ball? 



For a higher res pics you can refer to:
http://www.hexazona.com/photos/mossy_1.jpg
http://www.hexazona.com/photos/mossy_2.jpg
http://www.hexazona.com/photos/mossy_3.jpg

Here's another one which is mixed with some common 'Bt.Timah/HDB' moss. Noticed that the 'plant' can never grow tall compare to the other moss.


Today will be an interesting day as KL and some guys will share with us the discussion with Dr Tan about the moss[/url]

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## timebomb

> Today will be an interesting day as KL and some guys will share with us the discussion with Dr Tan about the moss


Today is really an interesting day indeed!!!

I just came home from my meeting with Dr Benito Tan. Besides myself, Gan Cheong Weei, Kim Cheng and Choy Heng Wah were there too. We had a very interesting session with Dr Tan and his assistant, Ching Li. Dr Tan was very kind to take time off his busy schedule to meet us and throughout the session, he was very nice and helpful. But to tell the truth, I'm left the meeting shell-shocked and dazed. I can't reveal the details now because Dr Tan requested that we keep the identities of the mosses confidential as he intends to publish a scientific paper on them. I'm sorry to keep you all in suspense but after the session with Dr Tan, I realise that our past attempts in identifying mosses were really amateurish. Honestly speaking, compared to how Dr Tan went about identifying the mosses, we were really inept. As hobbyists, we have a long way to go before we can achieve the level of expertise someone like Dr Tan has. However, as hobbyists too, that is perhaps the best we can do. 

What we thought we knew, we were way off the mark. What we didn't know; the answers were staring at us all the time  :Shocked:   :Shocked: 

I will be posting the details of our meeting with Dr Tan in a new topic as this one is getting too long. I can't reveal all the details but I will let you all know as much as I can.

Loh K L

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