| Icy Rock-moss | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Bryophyta |
| Class: | Andreaeopsida |
| Subclass: | Andreaeidae |
| Order: | Andreaeales |
| Family: | Andreaeaceae |
| Genus: | Andreaea |
| Species: | A. frigida |
| Binomial name | |
| Andreaea frigida Hedwig.[1] |
|
Andreaea frigida, commonly known as Icy Rock-moss, is a moss endemic to Europe which is found in mountainous regions in Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Rumania, Poland, and Spain.[1][2] In the UK its occurrence is widespread in the Cairngorms National Park, where it is typically found on rocks in burns fed by snow patches, but it is not found elsewhere except at a single site in the Lake District of England.[3][4]
The earliest records for the UK date to 1854, (although its existence was not formally recognised until 1988), and it is classified as "Vulnerable". The greatest threat to its continuing existence is assumed to be global warming.[2]