Callicostella papillata

Moss Callicostella papillata, scientific name Callicostella prabaktiana. Native to tropical Asia, where it grows in moist, shaded areas along river banks, anchoring itself on rocks, snags, or directly on damp ground. First introduced from Thailand to Europe as an aquarium plant in 1991, it does not appear to have been widely distributed and was supplanted by the similar species Vesicularia Dubi and Java moss.

The moss forms many creeping shoots with irregular branching, on which are bright green tiny oval leaves with a pointed tip. There is another variety of Callicostella papillata var. Prabaktiana, although in a number of sources it is singled out as an independent species. It differs by the jagged edge of the leaves and the presence of tubercles on their surface. Given that the moss itself is very tiny, you can only see the differences with the help of a magnifying glass.

Callicostella papillata is completely undemanding to growing conditions, it can grow both under water and in a humid environment, for example, in paludariums. The only important condition is the temperature, it should not fall below 20 ° C. The shoots are adjacent to any base and are firmly attached to it by rhizoids. If it is a snag raised above the ground, then growing hanging moss forms a “descending” green curtain or rug.