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Mosses and other plants used in nativity sets: A sampling study in northern Spain
Abstract and Figures
Bryophytes and vascular plants used in traditional home-made nativity sets were studied in an area of the Asturian Region, northern Spain. The results revealed a surprising plant diversity, with 66 bryophytes, three ferns and 37 flowering plants utilized. Most species, collected among more attractive mosses, were used only occasionally or accidentally, whereas only four large pleurocarpous mosses, Thuidium tamariscinum, Eurhynchium striatum, Hypnum cupressiforme and Pseudoscleropodium purum, were widely used, providing the moss base of all the sets. Additionally, eleven mosses and four native flowering plants were frequently selected. The diversity of the bryophytes used in nativity sets of different sizes is analysed, and the deliberate selection of moss species during the collecting is discussed. Finally, it is verified that the collection of certain showy mosses from forests and peat bogs could affect local populations of these mosses and entails the accidental removal of rare or endangered species.
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... This custom of preparing dioramas representing the events immediately before and after the birth of Christ exists in most countries with Christian populations. It is believed that it was established in France and Italy by the Franciscan Order in the thirteenth century, subsequently spreading across the globe [17,18]. Mosses are used to simulate vegetation in the nativity scenes by putting moss carpets on the stable roof, in baby Jesus' cradle or around the nativity. ...
... In Spain, the use of mosses for covering the elements that represent the mountains in the Nativity scenes has been widely recorded. Here, the moss carpets are used to simulate fields, scrubland and forests, while in arid sceneries, they are usually set along the rivers, shaping the lush riverside vegetation [18]. In Mexico, the tradition of using wild gathered plants (including bryophytes) for Christmas decorations dates back to the sixteenth century, and the building of the nativity scenes in private homes is not only an act of religious devotion but also a demonstration of social prestige [17]. ...
... In terms of ceremonial decoration, the use of fir (Abies alba Mill.) and spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) from the wild in Austria [25], as well as extensive private cultivation of Casuarina L. and pines (Pinus L.) in Cameroon [26] for Christmas trees were registered. Besides Christmas trees, various vascular plants are used for ornamenting the nativity sets in Spain (ferns and flowering plants) [18,28] and Mexico (bromeliads, orchids, lichens and lycopods) [17]. The ceremonial use of mistletoe (Viscum album L.) during the Christmas period was documented in Poland [29] and Italy [30], while various plants (hay, garlic cloves, walnuts, poppy seeds, spruce) were used for table decorations and bouquets in Ukraine [31]. ...
Background
The bryophytes are a plant group that is smaller than and not as well known as the vascular plants. They are less used and are almost completely neglected in ethnobotanical studies. Traditional nativity scenes depicting the birth of Christ are commonly decorated with both vascular plants and bryophytes. The aim of this study was to document the diversity of decorative bryophytes sold during the Advent season at farmers’ markets in Croatia (Southeastern Europe, Balkan Peninsula).
Methods
Twenty-eight farmers’ markets in the two largest Croatian cities (Zagreb in the continental part and Split in the Mediterranean part) were studied in the search for local vendors selling bryophytes during the pre-Christmas season. The bryophytes collected were identified and analysed with respect to families, growth type, life forms and threat status.
Results
Among 275 collected specimens, 43 moss and four liverwort species were identified. The mean number of species per vendor was 3.5. The most frequent species were Hypnum cupressiforme , Homalothecium sericeum and Ctenidium molluscum . Mats, wefts and tufts were the most common life-forms, while pleurocarpous prevailed over acrocarpous mosses, as they are usually pinnately branched and form large carpets, suitable for decorations. The overall selection of bryophytes and the decorations made of them were more diverse and abundant in inland Croatia, where 49 vendors at 15 farmers’ markets sold goods containing 43 species. In Mediterranean Croatia, at six farmers’ markets only 29 vendors sold goods, which contained 18 species. A considerable number of species that are less attractive to harvesters were collected non-intentionally, entangled in carpets of other, more frequent species. Among them, Rhodobryum ontariense and Loeskeobryum brevirostre are rare and insufficiently recorded in Croatia so far.
Conclusions
The present study provided a first perspective on the use of bryophytes in traditional nativity scenes in Croatia and Southeastern Europe, contributing to scarce ethnobotanical documentation of the decorative use of bryophytes in Christmas festivities in Europe and globally.
... The harvesting of mosses and other bryophytes for ornamental purposes is a common activity worldwide (Nelson and Carpenter 1965;Peck 1997;Peralta and Wolf 2001;Zegers et al. 2006;Glime 2007;Peck and Moyle 2008). One of the main uses of moss as an ornament is associated with the Catholic tradition of creating nativity scenes for Christmas (Lara et al. 2006). Nativity scenes are scale representations of the birth of Jesus, in which mats of living moss are often used to simulate grasslands, mountains, or caves (Fig. 1a). ...
... Studies on the ecological impact of moss harvesting on these forests, their vascular plants and Abies regeneration are scarce in the literature. The existing studies focus on the socio-economic side of this activity (Peralta and Wolf 2001;Lara et al. 2006;Anastacio-Martínez et al. 2017) rather than its ecological impacts, although Peralta and Wolf (2001) suggested possible impacts on the seed bank of canopy species. Furthermore, existing studies on the regeneration of Abies species have found that recruitment is microsite-limited (Sugita and Nagaike 2005;Kollmann et al. 2008), suggesting that removal of the moss layer may have a direct effect on the early life-history stages of this genus. ...
... La extracción del musgo y su comercialización en México está directamente relacionada con la temporada decembrina que inicia desde mediados de noviembre y todo diciembre., y su utilización como alfombra para los pesebres navideños y arreglos florales. Se desconoce la fecha exacta del inicio de la utilización del musgo en México, el festejo de la navidad se remonta a 1528 por Fray Pedro de Gante (Lara, et al., 2006). ...
La extracción intensiva de musgo (Thuidium delicatulum) se realiza durante los meses de noviembre y diciembre para ser utilizado en la decoración de los pesebres navideños. La presente investigación tiene como objetivo caracterizar el proceso de extracción y comercialización del musgo en la zona de alta montaña del Estado de México, en el Ejido de San Bartolo Oxtotitlán, en el municipio de Jiquipilco. El trabajo de campo se realizó durante los meses de noviembre y diciembre de los años 2012 y 2013 a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas a informantes clave, transectos por las principales zonas de extracción, observación participante y muestreos dirigidos en la zona. Los resultados de la investigación muestran que la extracción se realiza por actores sociales ajenos a la población, siendo las fechas navideñas el elemento detonador de la demanda del musgo. La comercialización del recurso se ve influenciada por la presencia de intermediarios, quienes son los que obtienen la mayor ganancia económica.
... La extracción y comercialización del musgo en México se encuentran directamente relacionadas con la elaboración de los tradicionales nacimientos navideños como parte de la tradición religiosa popular. De acuerdo con Lara et al. (2006), la utilización del musgo para los nacimientos navideños se remonta al siglo xviii, que inició como una tradición en España que se difundió posteriormente a Latinoamérica. ...
This paper analyzes the extraction and marketing of the moss in the State of Mexico with ejido San Bartolo Oxtotitlán as study case. The aim of the study was to identify the role of the stakeholders in the extraction process. Participatory research tools, such as semi-structured interviews, transects by extraction routes and random samplings in the study area were used. The results show that moss extraction is an intensive and seasonal activity carried out by outsiders of the communities and the local populations have shown no interest and capability to exploit their own resources. The intermediaries obtain the greatest benefit from the commercialization of the resource.
... La extracción y comercialización del musgo en México se encuentran directamente relacionadas con la elaboración de los tradicionales nacimientos navideños como parte de la tradición religiosa popular. De acuerdo con Lara et al. (2006), la utilización del musgo para los nacimientos navideños se remonta al siglo xviii, que inició como una tradición en España que se difundió posteriormente a Latinoamérica. ...
Se analiza el proceso de extracción y comercialización del musgo Thuidium delicatulum en San Bartolo Oxtotitlán, Estado de México. Se pretende caracterizar la forma en que los actores sociales intervienen en el
aprovechamiento del musgo en una región de alta montaña del centro de México. Se emplearon herramientas de investigación participativa como entrevistas semiestructuradas, transectos por las rutas de extracción y los muestreos aleatorios en la zona de estudio. Los resultados muestran que la extracción de musgo en el Estado de México es una actividad estacional intensiva que realizan personas ajenas a las comunidades, ya que las poblaciones locales no han mostrado capacidad e interés para organizarse y son los intermediarios quienes
promueven su explotación y obtienen la mayor ventaja económica.
... Coast and Cascade Mountains of the Pacific Northwest of western North America (Peck 2006, Peck & Muir 2007), the Appalachians of eastern North America (Studlar & Peck 2007), the Sierra Chincua in southern Mexico (Peralta & Wolf 2001), the Cordillera Cantábrica in northern Spain (Lara et al. 2006 ...
The commercial harvest of forest mosses and liverworts is an international, multimillion dollar industry with a potential ecological impact extending beyond the degradation of the slow-growing moss communities themselves. It is therefore important to develop guidelines for sustainable harvest, which may be preferable to complete prohibition. We present here guidelines (originally developed for the International Association of Bryologists) for policy makers, land managers, and harvesters based on moss harvest studies and input from bryologists, ecologists, nontimber forest product specialists, land managers, and commercial moss harvesters and buyers. Policy guidelines include standardizing reporting requirements, requiring the tumbling of moss before export, and creating incentives for buyer and harvester participation. Management guidelines include promoting salvage harvest, conducting inventories, and developing harvest guidelines in cooperation with local harvesters. Harvest guidelines, which must be region-specific, should cover the where, what, and how of sustainable harvest.
Los musgos son un recurso forestal no maderable de importancia económica en el centro de México durante la temporada navideña. Sin embargo, en el estado de Tlaxcala no existe información del origen, la cantidad recolectada y las especies con importancia comercial durante esta época. Por tal motivo, se analizó la información de los permisos para explotación comercial del 2005 al 2008 de la Secretaría de Medioambiente y Recursos Naturales-Tlaxcala y se seleccionaron cuatro predios para ser visitados y recolectar musgos en tres cuadrantes de 20 cm × 20 cm, además, se adquirieron tres muestras de musgos en los mercados de las principales ciudades del estado de Tlaxcala para complementar la información. La superficie y el peso fresco fueron calculados solo con las muestras de los mercados y los datos se extrapolaron a los permisos oficiales. La región de Tlaxco presenta la mayor cantidad de permisos de explotación comercial y en general, la superficie declarada para explotación comercial varía de 10 ha a 167 ha y el peso fresco de 10 t a 65 t. El precio de las muestras en los mercados es de 22 MXN/m2 a 52 MXN/m2 con peso fresco calculado de 15.89 MXN/kg a 64.10 MXN/kg. El valor comercial aproximado es de 372 500 MXN/ha y 40 000 MXN/t. Revisando los datos de los permisos se determinó que hay una capacidad de extracción anual de 1.63 t/ha. Se identificaron un total de 14 especies, observando que Thuidium delicatulum subsp. delicatulum se encuentra presente en campo y en el mercado, pero Hypnum amabile solo se observó en los mercados.
Each Christmas season, the abundance of terrestrial bryophytes in the Abies-dominated forests of the Sierra Chincua, part of the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, attracts moss gatherers. Bryophyte mats are harvested as ornamentals, packed, and sold at the central auction of Mexico City. In 1996, we followed a group of about 10 family members in this activity and documented economic and ecological aspects. During the season they removed in total nearly 50 tons of fresh weight of bryophytes from the forest floor that was sold for approximately $3,500 USD, leaving behind a mosaic of gaps of bare soil in the mossy layer. The average gap size was 0.48 m2 and extraction intensity varied between 0.5 and 4.1% of the total surface area (2.14% on average). In addition, over 11,000 Abies seedlings were unintentionally removed. We are conceive that the Mexican norm for bryophyte harvesting is not in line with current practices and we recommend the inclusion of guidelines for patch size, and that harvesters pay attention to accidental removal of tree seedlings.
SUMMARY The moss flora of Europe and Macaronesia comprises 278 genera, 1292 species, 46 subspecies and 118 varieties. Of the total 1292 species, 53 are confined to Macaronesia and 21 are thought to be non-native. The checklist was derived from those for the various component countries and regions. It is based on results published up to the end of 2005. Subspecies and varieties are included; hybrids are omitted. The taxonomic hierarchy is based on one published by Goffinet & Buck in 2004. While it has been strongly influenced by results of modern molecular methods, there are still many remaining uncertainties, even at family level. Because of these uncertainties, taxonomic innovation has generally been avoided. There are four new combinations and one change of status.
Tesis Doctoral inédita, leída en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias, Departamento de Biología. Fecha de lectura: 12-05-2003
In Europe and Macaronesia 453 species of Hepaticae (Marchantiopsida, Liverworts) are recognized; 33 of these are confined to Macaronesia. The total species complement is assigned to 105 genera (of which four are confined to Macaronesia: Acanthocoleus R.M.Schust., Cheilolejeunea (Spruce) Schiffn., Mnioloma Herzog and Tylimanthus Mitt.). The genera are subdivided into subgenera and sections where sound natural groupings of species are recognizable. Two new subgenera and a new section for Asterella P.Beauv. are proposed. Correct author citations for a number of sectional names are given following strict interpretation of Art. 22.1, including the new combination Marsupella sect. Homocraspis (Lindb. ex Schiffn.) Grolle. Two species in the genus Lophozia and one in the genus Frullania are newly synonymized. A neotype for Jungermannia ventricosa Dicks. (Lophozia ventricosa (Dicks.) Dumort.) is designated. The five extant genera Metacalypogeia (S.Halt.) Inoue, Nipponolejeunea S.Hatt., Notoscyphus Mitt., Spruceanthus Verd. and Trocholejeunea Schiffn. are additionally recorded in Europe as Tertiary fossils (all preserved in Baltic Amber). In the treated area, eight species of Anthocerotae (Anthocerotopsida, Hornworts) are recognized and assigned to three genera. In 373 annotations, the taxonomy, nomenclature and synonymy of many of the accepted species are discussed briefly, based primarily on recent literature sources and the authors' observations.
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