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Project Noah Nature School
Nostoc commune
Colonies of flat, convoluted, leathery and gelatinous looking growths seen on damp soil. Some of them might have been globular but have been flattened with age.
Spotted on damp soil amongst grass - beside a walking track.
Nostoc is a colonial form of cyanobacteria, where the beaded strands are enveloped in a gelatinous sheath. It is a terrestrial or fresh water algae which is capable of fixing nitrogen in the soil. Nostoc does not have chloroplasts but has photosynthetic pigments in the cytoplasm which it utilises to produce energy. Nostoc is eaten as salad in many Asian countries.
Spotted on Aug 28, 2015
Submitted on Aug 31, 2015
1 Comment
Good to hear from you Ernst.This stuff is everywhere - all wet damp soil beside walking tracks. Haven't seen much else. I hope you have been able to find things over winter. Will wait to see your spottings !