Will the real Java Moss please stand up?

[timebomb]

Hi, folks,

About a month ago, Ms Christel Kasselmann, the chairwoman of the German “Arbeitskreis Wasserpflanzen” sent an email to Professor Benito Tan at the National University of Singapore. In her email, she sought to clarify the correct use of the common name, "Java Moss". To her, this should be given to the moss, Vesicularia dubyana. If you don't already know, currently, Java Moss is commonly accepted to be Taxiphyllum barbieri while Vesicularia dubyana is generally known as “Singapore Moss”.

In her message, Ms Kasselmann recalled the history of the early use of common name, “Java Moss”, referring to V. dubyana. This claim was first published in an article by Gerhard Benl in a German aquaristic magazine in 1958. Later, in 1971, a Dutch botanist, W A Tomey, made a comparison between 2 common aquarium mosses, namely V. dubyana and Glossadelphus zollingeri. He named the former Java Moss1 and the latter Java Moss2. Ms Kasselmann herself wrote an article on Java Moss in 1978 for the magazine Aqua Planta. Her article was accompanied by several pictures of the plant recognisable as V. dubyana.

In 1982, Prof. Z. Iwatsuki of Japan published a paper reporting that the Java Moss sold and grown as aquarium plants in Japan is Taxiphyllum barbieri, and not a Glossadelphus zollingeri (now known as Ectropothecium zollingeri). Since 2004, a group of aquarium plant hobbyists in Singapore, supported by Prof. Benito Tan at NUS, has applied the common name, Java Moss, to T. barbieri. This group, the members of whom are largely users of this forum also popularised the newly coined common name, “Singapore Moss” to refer to V. dubyana.

According to Ms. Kasselmann, this mix up on the use of the name, Java Moss, started as early as in 1971. She recalled that there were two aquarium mosses in circulation in the aquaria scene in Europe then. These two kinds of mosses having the same common name were examined and re-named as Java Moss1 and Java Moss2 by W A Tomey in 1971. Because of its faster growth, Taxiphyllum barbieri is the Java Moss that seem to be more widely grown than Vesicularia dubyana among aquarium hobbyists today. This is apparently true not just in Europe but worldwide.

So, which of these two moss species deserve the common name, Java Moss? The problem with the use of common names is that there’s no authority nor an authoritative publication to go by. At the request of Prof. Benito Tan and also in response to Ms Kasselmann's email, I would like to conduct a public opinion poll on the “correct” use of common name, Java Moss. But I won't start the poll until I've heard all possible options.

Title of poll: Which moss should we give the common name, Java Moss?

Option 1: Let's not confuse ourselves by digging up the past. Let's stick with what is generally known and more widely accepted today – that is, T. barbieri is Java Moss and V. dubyana is Singapore Moss.

Option 2: Let's not ignore the history. Let's show some regard to the people who first described and named the mosses. We will apply the common name, “Java Moss1” to Vesicularia dubyana as reported by Ms Kasselmann and call T. barbeiri “Java Moss2”. As for the name, “Singapore Moss”, we will treat it as another common name for V. dubyana. After all, it’s not unusual for a plant species to have more than one common name.

Option 3: Let's just simply switch the common names for V. dubyana and T. barbeiri around. In other words, the common name of V. dubyana would henceforth revert back to Java Moss and T. barbeiri will be known as Singapore Moss. This would mean we ignore the fact that T. barbeiri is not native to Singapore whereas V. dubyana can be found in many places on the island. That’s a problem but it’s not a big deal. After all, common names are such they are not expected to make sense.

If you have any suggestions for another option, please don't hesitate to let me hear about it. Thank you.

Loh K L

[imported_Afroturf]

When i first got into aquatic plants 4 or 5 years ago I always thought of Java Moss being Vesicularia dubyana as everywhere in England that sold the Java Moss gave it the scientific name Vesicularia dubyana and still do and 3 or 4 years ago i had never heard of any other moss apart from Willow Moss.

But over the last year or 2 I have thought of Vesicularia dubyana being Singapore Moss and Java Moss actually being Taxiphyllum barbieri this is because of reading forums like this, and i presume that the members here being more qualified than the general plant sellers in England of giving the correct names of the particular names of these mosses due to the fact that there are many people on this forum that actually study mosses, rather than just growing particular mosses in planted aquariums and not to be overly fussed of the correct scientific name.

However i think that 95% of people in England would say that Java Moss would be Vesicularia dubyana, but i would go along with your option 1 Loh, as the majority of moss 'experts' now believe this to be true which is good enough for me.

[timebomb]

Thanks for your feedback, Steven. Please be sure to vote when the poll officially starts. Yours may be the representative vote from England

I got an email from Ms Kasselmann after I informed her about the poll that I intend to conduct. She is of the opinion that I should include one more option - that we call V. dubyana Java Moss and we find a new name for T. barbieri.

I think I will include this option in the poll. To be fair to all parties, the more options, the better.

Loh K L

[ed seeley]

I've gotta say that there seems to be little chance of swapping the common name in general circulation. Over here java moss is sold everywhere and is often traded as just that. People may accept that what they are growing isn't Vesicularia dubyana, as they are relatively used to scientific names changing, but I can just imagine the response if I went into my LFS and said, "That isn't Java moss, it's Singapore moss!"

Java moss is what everyone knows it as and is growing it as in their tanks so stick with option 1. Hopefully people will soon start to come to terms with the scientific misidentification.

[timebomb]

On the contrary, Ed, there's no misunderstanding over the scientific names. The confusion lies only with the common names. In other words, we're pretty clear on which is V. dubyana and which is T. barbieri. What we want to find out is which of these 2 deserves the common name "Java Moss" more.

Loh K L

[ed seeley]

On the contrary, Ed, there's no misunderstanding over the scientific names. The confusion lies only with the common names. In other words, we're pretty clear on which is V. dubyana and which is T. barbieri. What we want to find out is which of these 2 deserves the common name "Java Moss" more.

Loh K L

Sorry I meant in general use. Most the the suppliers over here still list Java moss as Vesicularia dubyana, and that was the 'misidentification' I was talking about. I know there's no misunderstanding in the scientific community, that's why I called it a misidentification!

[timebomb]

I see what you mean, Ed. Misindentification could be the perfect word for it. It's the reason there's so much confusion now.

Somewhere along the line, probably sometime in the early seventies, the hobbyists misindentify T. barbieri to be V. dubyana. Can't say it's their fault though. It's always hard to tell one moss from another, more so if they weren't aware in the first place, that there's more than one moss circulating around.

Loh K L

[zobek]

Here in Poland many people have T. barbieri and name it V. dubyana, so it's not problem only with common name. They named it of course Java moss.
These times some people in Poland started to be interested in mosses. We decided to make our own polish moss forum. We begin to bring some new species of mosses. Since there we started to "fight" for right identification of mosses that are sold in our country. We started to convince people that Java moss is T. barbieri, and Vesicularia dubyana is Singapore moss. This is still in progress, and I think that another changes would make more problems in calling moss in my country. That's why I'm for option number 1.

I hope you understand what I mean, because I'm not really good at english

Regards
Krzysiek

[timebomb]

Don't worry about your English, Krzysiek. We understand you perfectly.

I can see the reasons why you would prefer option 1. But things may not turn out the way we want it sometimes. I just received several emails from Ms Kasselmann and it looks like she has dug up new evidence to suggest that there is already a common name for T. barbieri, one that was given to the moss in 1969. To avoid creating more confusion, I will avoid revealing the name but rest assured I will inform you all of the new developments as they are revealed to me.

In the meantime, I would certainly like to hear more opinions. If you're a moss-lover and you live in Italy, Finland, Germany, France, USA, Canada or any other country, please tell us what you think. Which option would you prefer?

I'm kind of surprised I haven't heard from a fellow Singaporean yet. Surely, they would have an opinion on this. No?

Loh K L

[fish newb]

Hey Loh,

Once again sorry for being a bit late on the topic... Life got busy (sad)

For me this is pretty hard to answer. Why It's simple really.

Reality Vs. Correct Name:

Reality; people won't start changing common names and common names are horrible anyways, If I could pronounce half the Latin names that's all I'd use. But right now we've got a problem. England sees java moss as something much different than what we see it.

They're technically right. The problem is it's too late for the rest of us more or less. SOOO many people know Java moss as Taxiphyllum barbieri and if we switch it on them it would be mass confusion for the majority.

My solution. Let everyone know how the UK sees java moss as Vesicularia dubyana and historically they are correct, but now a day it's referred to as Singapore moss because of a miscommunication more or less and that Java moss across the world usually now refers to as Taxiphyllum barbieri. Don't try to start changing names and what not. Let the people in the UK make a common name for what most refer to java moss as and leave it as is.

Correct name: Technically she is right, but it wouldn't ever realistically work to change it now... It would probably be harder than figuring the difference between Spikey moss and Peacock moss!

So I vote leave as is, and apologize for our ignorance.

-Andrew

[timebomb]

So I vote leave as is, and apologize for our ignorance.

No apologies needed, Andrew.

I think most of us would prefer option 1. In other words, leave it as it is, live with the mistake. I used to think along the same lines too but in the face of new evidence, I'm having second thoughts.

Loh K L

[fish newb]

So I vote leave as is, and apologize for our ignorance.

No apologies needed, Andrew.

I think most of us would prefer option 1. In other words, leave it as it is, live with the mistake. I used to think along the same lines too but in the face of new evidence, I'm having second thoughts.

Loh K L

I disagree.

We made a mistake, quite a MAJOR one as moss goes we renamed a moss and switched the names.

And it would be way too hard to tell people that your java moss isn't really java moss.

The name should be given to the original but it would be too hard to change, so we should just apologize to Ms Kasselmann about not recognizing that she had named java moss another moss already and move on. Since there is no scientific mess up it really doesn't matter because as you say all the time Common names don't mean much, just easier for the rest of us (myself included) to remember the names of the moss and say them much easier.

I'm not sure you understand what I'm trying to say... Hopefully this helped.

-Andrew

[fish newb]

LOH???

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,

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

[timebomb]

LOH???

I wrote that post many moons ago, Andrew, long before we met the professor. I think it is obvious to anyone who reads that post that I was wrong on almost all the mosses in circulation then . But hey, I was just trying to help. In those days, we did not realise that the process of identifying a moss was much more complex than we thought.

Loh K L

[fish newb]

LOH???

I wrote that post many moons ago, Andrew, long before we met the professor. I think it is obvious to anyone who reads that post that I was wrong on almost all the mosses in circulation then . But hey, I was just trying to help. In those days, we did not realise that the process of identifying a moss was much more complex than we thought.

Loh K L

Alright I think that can slide then,

I was just reading some old posts and found that. Didn't read much of it besides the java part.

Since this post I've noticed more people call the Singapore moss java moss, whatever shall we do?

-Andrew