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Buxbaumia viridis

(D.C.) Moug. & Nestl.

Green Shield Moss

G5Secure (G5?) Found in 1 roadless area NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
High - mediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.122082
Element CodeNBMUS1B040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryNonvascular Plant
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumBryophyta
ClassBryopsida
OrderBuxbaumiales
FamilyBuxbaumiaceae
GenusBuxbaumia
Synonyms
Buxbaumia indusiataBrid.
Concept Reference
Anderson, L.E., H.A. Crum, and W.R. Buck. 1990. List of the mosses of North America north of Mexico. The Bryologist 93(4):448-499.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-07-30
Change Date2024-07-30
Edition Date2024-07-30
Edition AuthorsChristy, John A. and Judith Harpel, rev. N. Ventrella (2024)
Threat ImpactHigh - medium
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Buxbaumia viridis is a moss occurring on dead, fallen wood or hummus banks in coniferous forests of Scotland, Scandinavia, Europe, Russia, Corsica, southwest Asia, China, and western North America from British Columbia south to California, and possibly Alaska. It is a widespread species with over 300 occurrences world-wide. Buxbaumia viridis is rare and in decline in parts of its range due to logging and forestry practices, but it is thought to be relatively stable in North America.
Range Extent Comments
Buxbaumia viridis is an interruptedly circumboreal species occurring in Scotland, Scandinavia, Europe, Russia, Corsica, southwest Asia, China, and western North America (British Columbia, Alberta, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and California) (Weber 2002, FNA 2007). Its range in the United States possibly includes Alaska, based on a single unconfirmed herbarium specimen (B. Heitz 13245 (UAAH)). Range extent was estimated to be over 14 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations collected between 1993 and 2024 (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be over 300 occurrences rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Buxbaumia viridis is widespread in Europe and Scandinavia, but it is declining and listed as rare, threatened, or endangered in most countries. It is listed as vulnerable by the European Committee for the Conservation of Bryophytes (Dragicevic et al. 2012). In North America, populations remain robust. Causes for decline include changes in the microclimate of deforested areas, the decrease of decayed wood in forests, and diminishing mesic forest.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

In North America, Buxbaumia viridis occurs on "decorticated wood or humus banks in coniferous forests" at high (subalpine) elevations (FNA 2007).
Terrestrial Habitats
Forest - Conifer
Other Nations (2)
United StatesN3
ProvinceRankNative
AlaskaS1Yes
WashingtonSUYes
IdahoS3Yes
MontanaSNRYes
WyomingSNRYes
CaliforniaS2Yes
ColoradoS2Yes
OregonSNRYes
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
AlbertaS1Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
5 - Biological resource useLarge (31-70%)Extreme - moderateHigh (continuing)
5.3 - Logging & wood harvestingLarge (31-70%)Extreme - moderateHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (1)
California (1)
AreaForestAcres
PowleyModoc National Forest6,268
References (16)
  1. Anderson, L.E., H.A. Crum, and W.R. Buck. 1990. List of the mosses of North America north of Mexico. The Bryologist 93(4):448-499.
  2. Christy, J.A. and D.H. Wagner. 1996. Guide for the identification of rare, threatened or sensitive bryophytes in the range of the northern spotted owl, western Washington, western Oregon, and northwestern California. USDI Bureau of Land Management. 200 pp.
  3. Dragicevic, S., Papp, B. and P. Erzberger. 2012. Distribution of <i>Buxbaumia viridis</i> (Moug. ex Lam. et DC.) Brid. ex Moug. et Nestl. (Bryophyta) in Montenegro. Acta Botanica Croatica 71(2): 365-370.
  4. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 2007b. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 27. Bryophytes: Mosses, Part 1. Oxford University Press, New York. xxi + 713 pp.
  5. French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development. 2002. Natura 2000 website.
  6. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. <i>Aceria fraxinicola</i> (Nalepa, 1890) in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org on 2024-06-10.
  7. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  8. Ireland, R.R., G.R. Brassard, W.B. Schofield, D.H. Vitt. 1987. Checklist of the Mosses of Canada II. Lindbergia 13:1-62.
  9. Lawton, E. 1971. Moss Flora of the Pacific Northwest. The Hattori Botanical Laboratory, Nichinan, Miyazaki, Japan.
  10. Schofield, W.B. 1976. Bryophytes of British Columbia III: habitat and distributional information for selected mosses. Syesis 9: 317-354.
  11. Smith, A.J.E. 1980. The moss flora of Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
  12. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2024. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2024).
  13. United Kingdom Joint Nature Conservation Committee. 2002. UK biodiversity website.
  14. University of Alberta. 2002. Devonian Botanic Garden bryophyte database. Edmonton, Alberta. <http://www.devonian.ualberta.ca/devonian/bryosearch.cfm>.
  15. USDA Forest Service, USDI Bureau of Land Management, USDI Fish and Wildlife Service. 2002. Interagency Species Management System [ISMS] database. Portland, Oregon.
  16. Weber, W.A. 2002. Rare Cryptograms in Colorado.