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Thread: Malesian Java Moss

  1. #1
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    Malesian Java Moss

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    Hi, everyone,

    In my quest to find its true identity, I'm starting a new topic on the Malesian Java Moss. The word "Malesia" refers to the geographic area from Sumatra island in the West to Papua New Guinea in the east. It encompasses countries like Malaysia, the whole of Indonesia, Thailand and the Phillipines. Click here to see a map. We know now that Java Moss belongs to the genus Taxiphyllum but the species name cannot be confirmed. To make a positive identification, Professor Benito Tan needs to see the spores. Spores are like seeds and they are held in capsules. Here's a picture:



    The bud-like thing at the end of the stem is the capsule. The stem itself is called a Seta. Together, they are known as a sporophyte.

    So far, I have received 2 samples of Java Moss with capsules. One came from Bob Warwick who lives in the USA and the other was from Stephan Mifsud who lives in Malta. The sample from Stephan was mixed with some Vesicularia so it wasn't of any use to the Prof. The moss that Bob sent is a species of Taxiphyllum but it isn't the same Taxiphyllum found locally. In other words, it was Java Moss alright but it isn't a Malesian Java.

    If you live anywhere in the Malesian region, I appeal to you to take a close look at the Java Moss found in your tanks or in your local fish shops. If you can find capsules growing among them, please send a sample to me and I will, in return, send you Erect, Christmas or even Taiwan Moss. I'm offering the Taiwan Moss although I have only a little of it. It's a very beautiful moss and also very expensive. I would have offered a Downoi if it would tempt you to look harder for Java Moss capsules but it wouldn't survive the journey.

    If you find the capsules, please be sure it's from Java Moss and not some other plant. Here's what Java Moss looks like.

    A single frond


    A whole bunch of Java Moss growing on driftwood


    If you sent a sample of genuine Malesian Java Moss with capsules to me, I will ensure, to the best of my abilities, that due acknowledgement is given to you in the scientific paper the Prof is working on. In other words, the Prof will thank you, I will thank you and hobbyists around the world will thank you.

    There are hobbyists in this forum who live in Thailand, Malaysia and the Phillipines. I hope they will help me in my quest to search for Java Moss with capsules. There's also one person here whose roots are from Vietnam. I won't reveal who he is but if he's reading this now, I hope he will ask his friends or relatives back home to look for capsuled Java Moss. Although Vietnam is not in the Malesian region, it's close and the Java Moss there could possibly be the same. India also has a fair number of hobbyists in this forum, in particular, Madan Subramaniam who's an outstanding planted tank hobbyist. Madan is out at sea now so he probably won't read this but if any of his friends in India can help, I would appreciate it very much. India is also not a Malesian country but it's Asian nonetheless, close enough as far as I'm concerned. After all, I'm close to desperation .

    Loh K L

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    Hey Loh, I have a few reminents of "java moss" in my emersed tank. if it does send out some capsules, I'll absolutely send you some.

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    KL, Malesia does not include Thailand, only up to the Malaysia portion of the peninsula. Check the red bordered region in your link.
    why I don't do garden hybrids and aquarium strains: natural species is a history of Nature, while hybrids are just the whims of Man.
    hexazona · crumenatum · Galleria Botanica

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    Quote Originally Posted by Gomer
    Hey Loh, I have a few reminents of "java moss" in my emersed tank. if it does send out some capsules, I'll absolutely send you some.
    Thanks for the offer, Gomer. But if your Java isn't from the Malesian region, it wouldn't be of much use to the Professor. Do you know where they are from?

    Quote Originally Posted by hwchoy
    KL, Malesia does not include Thailand, only up to the Malaysia portion of the peninsula.
    Oops, thanks for pointing out the error, Heng Wah. Like I said in an earlier post, my geography sucks

    Loh K L

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    I got it from RyuKen (Ken from Aquatic Bliss...you'd recognize his 10g tank for sure!) He imports a lot of stuff, so I'm not sure where he originally sourced it from.

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    Budak, who was in Bali, Indonesia recently brought home some Wild Java Moss which he found in a river there. I have to say Budak is really a courageous man and a great guy. To help me find capsuled Java Moss, he braved poisonous snakes and all sorts of dangerous animals, not to mention the wrath of Mrs Budak whom I'm sure would have preferred to spend her holiday there in more urban surroundings .

    Unfortunately, the mosses that Budak brought home didn't have any capsules. However, I intend to grow them emersed in my terrarium tank later and see if they will throw out any. Maybe Wild Mosses behave differently from tame ones :smile:

    Here's a picture of the river where Budak collected the moss:


    Here's how the Wild Moss looks dangling from the rocks at the sides of the river:


    Loh K L

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    3 cheers for Budak! If only we have more men like him!

    If there is anyone organising a mose hunt, maybe during a weekend in Johor, count me in! I hope not everyone needs to spend his weekend changing tank water.

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    hehe, mrs budak was enjoying her nasi campur, gado gado and sate in the restaurant located above the river bank.

    There was a small shrine pond at the restaurant with some goldfish, and a small snake went in and tried to eat the fish, but couldn't fit it into its mouth, so it went for some frogs instead.

    The mosses are rather wild, with lots of large spiders and bright red mites running around the foliage.

    On the left of the java moss picture you can see another moss with a more upright habit. Timebomb figures its Xmas or Singapore moss, but I am trying to get it to convert into a submersed form to see the result.

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