Vesicularia montagnei on Coco Fiber Mat (Christmas moss)

Vesicularia montagnei is a widely distributed creeping moss in the Asian tropics, thriving on moist shaded riverbanks and moist forest soil.

This moss has come to be known as Christmas moss due to its shoots appearing like fir tree branches.

A lowlight environment does not promote its ramifying behavior, yet its grown fronds bear a triangular outline, albeit less pronounced than its relative Vesicularia ferriei (weeping moss).

Each leaf is 1 to 1.5 mm long and stands at a 90° angle to the stem. Under a microscope, viewers can observe that the leaf cells are wide (2 to 3x longer than wide) and thin-walled.