Isocladiella surcularis （Dixon） B.C.Tan & Mohamed （Musci, Pylaisiadelphaceae） is known to have a distinct morphological dimorphism between plants from Japan and its vicinity and those from Southeast Asia, but this morphological difference is now considered to be continuous, representing a single species with continuous variation and a wide distribution. In this report, we examined whether there are genetic differences among plants showing such geographic dimorphism using rps4 and trnL‒F sequences of chloroplast genomes from 15 samples from Japan and East Asia as well as a single sample from China registered in NCBI. We found that the sequences were completely identical in both rps4 and trnL‒F except for the sample from China showing a single nucleotide difference in rps4. This strongly suggests that I. surcularis should be considered as a single species with a wide geographical distribution, despite the clear geographical variation in morphology as previously suggested.

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Aptychella oblongifolia H.Akiyama is added to the moss flora of Japan. This species is closely related to A. brevinervis （M.Fleisch.） M.Fleisch., but differ in smaller plant size, oblong‒lancerolate leaves usually less than 2 mm long with narrowly decurrent bases to the stem. Discription and illustration based on Japanese plants are provided.

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Compared to other plants, mosses or bryophytes are used less as artwork motifs. The author of this work tries a simple artistic experiment and consideration to explore the aesthetic elements in mosses as an artwork motif from both micro and macroscopic perspectives and further incorporate moss plants into paintings. First, in a painting experiment using moss colonies as a motif for abstract expression, the author attempts to reproduce moss colors by layering acrylic paints. This process is referred to as “divisionism” by neo-impressionists. Next, the author discusses the unique visual formation produced by the ecological characteristics of mosses. Oil paintings are also created with mosses as a motif. The obtained findings support the potential of moss plants as prominent artwork motifs considering their unique characteristics of ecology and appearance. The beauty of mosses in an aesthetic sense and scientific findings related to the backbone of beauty deserve further investigation and application to future artistic creations. Key words: moss, fine art, oil painting, colo

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