Polytrichum commune (Haircap moss)

Polytrichum commune

Haircap moss, common haircap moss, great golden maidenhair, great goldilocks

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Division	Bryophyta	Mosses
Subdivision	Musci	Mosses (all 12,000 of them)
Class	Bryopsida	Mosses with arthrodontous spore capsules, which is most of them
Subclass	Bryidae	Mosses with a double peristome with alternating tooth segments
Order	Polytrichales	A group of mosses which tend to be among the larger ones, with a thickened central stem and root
Family	Polytrichaceae	A group of mosses which tend to be among the larger ones, with a thickened central stem and root
Genus	Polytrichum	From Greek poly, “many,” trichum, “hair”
Species	commune	From Latin communis, growing in communities

About plant names...

This moss is very common in habitats that receive adequate moisture. It prefers bogs, forest stream edges, and similar moist, somewhat shaded habitats. If it remains wet, it tolerates full sun.

Most mosses are very low-growing, but haircap moss is from 1¾-12" (5-30 cm) tall, sometimes even reaching 28" (70 cm). There’s a reason mosses are small: they are non-vascular plants—lacking a mechanism for transporting water and nutrients throughout the plant. By contrast, other plants use a trick called transpiration. Water evaporates out of pores in the leaves, drawing water up from the roots and throughout the plant. Without transpiration, mosses have to stay small in order to survive. Haircap mosses, though, have evolved a modest vascular system, so they can grow larger.

Plants: These mosses form extensive dense, verdant soft carpets. Individual plants are often 1¾-4" (5-10 cm) in height, and can exceed 12" (30 cm). Stems are usually unbranched.

Leaves: Leaves are ⅛-¼" (6-8 mm), rarely up to ⅜" (1.2 cm) in length. They are long and narrow, erect when dry and curved when wet, dark green to brown in old age. They are crescent-shaped in cross-section, resembling miniature Aloe vera leaves. Viewed from above, the sharp leaves look starlike, and they are arranged in a spiral around the stem.

Fruits: Thin green or red stems called seta are 1¾-3½" (5-9 cm) long. They support a green to golden brown fibrous bundle, the calyptra. The calyptra is about ⅛-⅜" (5-10 mm) tall and ⅛" (4 mm) around, with a sharp tip. The calyptra encloses the capsule, a structure ¹/₁₆-³/₁₆" (3-6 mm) long, somewhat cubical, that is brown to dark red-brown.

Online References:

Polytrichum commune on tolweb.org

Polytrichum commune on Wikipedia

Polytrichum commune on beta.floranorthamerica.org

6/15/2012 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

About 2" x 1.75". · 9/5/2021 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, Massachusetts

About .5" x .5". · 9/5/2021 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, Massachusetts

8/7/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Land, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

About 0.75" x 0.75". · 9/5/2021 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, Massachusetts

8/12/2009 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 11 × 7" (27 × 18 cm)

8/7/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Land, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

7/15/2020 · Cathance River Nature Preserve Trails, Highland Green, Topsham, Maine
≈ 10 × 7" (24 × 16 cm)

Polytrichum commune description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 6 Sep 2021.

7/28/2013 · Andres Institute of Art, Big Bear Mountain, Brookline, New Hampshire
≈ 8 × 7" (19 × 16 cm)

6/15/2012 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 11 cm)

About 3" x 3.5". · 9/5/2021 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, Massachusetts

8/7/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Land, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm)

6/8/2012 · Townsend Wildlife Management Area, Townsend, Massachusetts
≈ 7 × 11" (18 × 27 cm)

7/12/2015 · Mt. Kearsarge, Wilmot/Warner, New Hampshire
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm)

4/9/2021 · Bowdoin Schiller Coastal Studies Center, Orr’s Island, Maine
≈ 7 × 4½" (17 × 12 cm)

The two darker-colored plants have male "splash cups" on top, where sperm is produced. · 9/29/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Ayer, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 3" (11 × 7.9 cm) ID is uncertain

About 3" x 3". · 9/5/2021 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, Massachusetts

About 2" x 1.75". · 9/5/2021 · Townsend State Forest, Townsend, Massachusetts

8/7/2013 · Amos Kendall Conservation Land, Dunstable, Massachusetts
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm)

Range:

About this map...