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Plant Science Today (PST)

Research Articles

Vol. 13 No. 3 (2026)

Species richness and habitat preferences of mosses in the semi-natural vegetation of Kuttikkanam in the Idukki district of Kerala

DOI
https://doi.org/10.14719/pst.12684
Submitted
11 November 2025
Published
08-07-2026 — Updated on 12-08-2026
Versions

Abstract

The present study was conducted to document the moss flora of semi-natural vegetations of Kuttikkanam, a hill station of historical significance in Idukki District, Kerala. A random sampling method was employed to collect mosses from June 2023 to May 2024. A total of 28 species belonging to 16 families were documented from the study site. Among these, 17 exhibited pleurocarpous habit, with rupicolous forms dominating, followed by corticolous and lignicolous forms. The dominant families recorded were Meteoriaceae with four species and Pterobryaceae and Sematophyllaceae, with three species each. The moss, Philonotis hastata (Duby) Wijk & Margad. assessed as Near Threatened (NT) according to the IUCN Red List. These findings underscore the need for more bryofloristic investigations in lesser-studied semi-natural habitats and highlight the importance of conserving the region.

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