# Planted Tanks > Plant Talk > Aquatic Moss Club >  Stringy Moss - 'Leptodictyon riparium'

## aquaturbo

As I have mentioned in a previous thread, I have in my collection an interesting kind of unknown moss. 




With the help of Dr. Tan, he has properly identified it to be '_Leptodictyon riparium_'. According to him, this moss is very variable, with many forms when grown submersed. It is not local, but found in the northern hemispheres, from Europe to China to North America.


Below is a comparison between Singapore Moss, Java Moss, and the _Leptodictyon riparium_:




My experience in growing this moss is that it is an undemanding plant, just like the normal java moss. It is a bit slow growing. The most interesting part about this moss is that it grows upwards in a stringy manners. Take some of the stems, which are unbranched, and tied them horizontally on a driftwood. After some times, a lot of stems will start popping up and grows upwards. And because the stems and leaves are so fine, it will sort of create an interesting effect. Very much different from the Singapore moss, Christmas moss, Taiwan moss, etc. I took a picture trying to show what I mean, but the quality of my digital camera is not good enough to do justice to the plant.





I've found another use of the Stringy Moss. To grow it in really small glass vase and use as a table top ornamental in my office. It never fail to impress my colleagues.





At first I gave it a common name as Stringy Erect Moss, but that's a pretty long name. Therefore, from now, I shalll name it *Stringy Moss* instead.


As far as I know, there are only a couple of people here in Singapore that are keeping this Stringy Moss. 


Tan SW

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## hwchoy

just make sure it doesn't get written as stingy moss  :Very Happy: 

anyway your vase needs a pair of _Betta brownorum_  :Smile:

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## timebomb

Tan SW,

Your moss is the same as the one Ben Barkey sent me some time ago. Ben passed on the chance to give the moss a common name then. Now that you have called it "Stringy Moss", the name will stick.

Loh K L

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## Green Baron

Suddenly there are so many type of mosses available for the aquarists here :

1. Singapore Moss
2. Christmas Moss
3. Erect Moss
4. Weeping Moss
5. Java Moss
6. Taiwan Moss
7. Stringy Moss 
8. Willow Moss
9. Nano Moss

Not to mention _Fissidens spp_ and Liverworts !  :Shocked:  

We are spoilt for choices !  :Very Happy: 

Gan

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## gchoo

> Suddenly there are so many type of mosses available for the aquarists here :
> 
> 1. Singapore Moss
> 2. Christmas Moss
> 3. Erect Moss
> 4. Weeping Moss
> 5. Java Moss
> 6. Taiwan Moss
> 7. Stringy Moss 
> ...


Hey,

I was wondering if anyone could advise me on where to get my hands on Nano moss and Stringy moss? I just need afew strains...

Cheers!

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## BeyondGomer

Hey Gchoo, I am growing out the nano now. PM me if you want to work out some sort of trade  :Smile: 


[/quote]

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## timebomb

> Suddenly there are so many type of mosses available for the aquarists here :


Actually, there are more. If you take a look at Prof Benito Tan's database, you will notice there are about 20 species of _Vesicularia_ listed. So far, we've only seen 4, namely Christmas Moss, Singapore Moss, Erect Moss and Weeping Moss. 

I remember the Prof said that all species of Vesicularia are semi-aquatic, in that they can be grown both emersed and submersed. 

Loh K L

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## aquaturbo

> Your moss is the same as the one Ben Barkey sent me some time ago. Ben passed on the chance to give the moss a common name then. Now that you have called it "Stringy Moss", the name will stick.



Actually credit should also be given to a friend of mine, CK Yeo, for naming it Stringy Moss. 

Went to the thread and review the picture of the moss that Ben Barkey sent. Though the picture posted from Daemonfly is more clear and looks similar to my Stringy Moss.


I am currently trying to grow it emersed, and hopefully it will grow to something as nice as the following: (Picture from Daemonfly's post)


Well, as Dr Tan mentioned, the _Leptodictyum riparium_ is very variable moss.


Tan SW.

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## aquaturbo

> I was wondering if anyone could advise me on where to get my hands on Nano moss and Stringy moss? I just need afew strains...


Quite a number of people have been sending me PM to request me to sell the Stringy Moss. 

Well, I have only a few handful of the Stringy Moss, and it's not cheap actually. Therefore, I do not have the intention to sell any of them for the moment. 

However, I'm actually more interested in the genus _Echinodorus_, so if anyone has any rare Echinodorus to trade, I will be willing to trade it with my Stringy Moss.


Tan SW

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## Daemonfly

Yeah, it does look very similar to mine. Leptodictyum riparium is quite the common moss, especially in N. America. I wouldn't be surprised if it was the same thing.

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## imported_brbarkey

wow...been out for a while. Tan SW your stringy moss looks great...Funny thing is my moss that I have which has been I.d. by the prof as the same as yours looks nothing like yours  :Very Happy:  ...I wish i had a camara to post a picture. Mine doesnt grow straight up like yours more out and its not very "stringy"...oh well

ben barkey

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## alan

may i know where you get that interesting collection moss of yours ? since you are from singapore , i suppose you bought it from somewhere in singapore too ?

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