Andreaea frigida
species of plant
Andreaea frigida, commonly known as icy rock moss, is a species of moss endemic to Europe.
Distribution and habitat
Endemic to the mountains of Europe between 37 degrees north and 67 degrees north, A. frigida can be found in Andorra, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France (mainland France and Corsica), Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. It grows in humid, rocky areas in alpine or subalpine habitats at altitudes of 385–2,800 m (1,263–9,186 ft) above sea level.
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.
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.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Andreaea frigida” as species of plant. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the science & nature register because the source frames it as species of plant. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Stable identifiers, scientific names and standards terminology offer the best bridge between this overview and specialist evidence. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 28, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q4034007. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1854 and 1988.
Scientific names, classifications and consensus can change while older terminology persists in catalogues and historical literature. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Check terminology, classification and the date of the cited evidence. Scientific names and technical consensus can change while older records retain historical value.
- Current terminology
- Classification context
- Finding cited technical literature
Primary datasets, specimen catalogues, standards bodies and the most recent peer-reviewed literature.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Andreaea frigida”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Andreaea frigida primary sources, Andreaea frigida archive and Andreaea research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Andreaea frigida”?
- Is the terminology current, historical or disputed?
- Which observation, specimen, dataset or publication supports the account?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Andreaea frigida” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.