Thuidium delicatulum (Delicate fern moss)

Thuidium delicatulum (Hedw.) Schimp.

Thuidium delicatulum (Hedw.) Schimp. var. repens Kindb.

Delicate fern moss, fern moss

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	Hypnales	An order of Bryophyta or leafy mosses
Family	Thuidiaceae	A family of mosses, usually occuring in stiff, loose mats, dark green to golden brown
Genus	Thuidium	From Thuja and Latin -idium, “diminutive,” alluding to a branched habit
Species	delicatulum	Delicate

About plant names...

The delicate fern moss is perfectly named, reproducing the bipinnate or tripinnate structure of many ferns on a Lilliputian scale. These mosses are native to eastern North America, Alaska, Europe, the Caucasus, Siberia, Asia, Mexico, and South America.

Identification: “Fern fronds” are 1-3" (3-8 cm) in length, and adorn living and dead branches, as well as moist, shaded soil, humus, rocks, logs, or stumps. Fern moss may appear as deep green, yellow green, or orange-brown. The orange-brown coloration is not (necessarily) an indicator of poor health.

Online References:

Thuidium delicatulum at Ohio University

Thuidium delicatulum on

Thuidium delicatulum on Vascular Plants of the Gila Wilderness

Thuidium delicatulum on www.mountainmoss.com

1/7/2012 · Beaver Brook Association Trails, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 31 × 21" (78 × 52 cm) ID is uncertain

8/28/2020 · Jack’s and Litchfield Trails, Chase Reserve, Brunswick, Maine
≈ 6 × 4" (16 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain

8/31/2020 · Bowdoin Schiller Coastal Studies Center, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 7 × 4½" (18 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain

8/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

12/10/2011 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

Thuidium delicatulum description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 7 Sep 2020.

9/4/2020 · Wilson’s Cove Trail, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine
≈ 3½ × 4" (9.2 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain

8/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 15 cm)

8/14/2013 · Beaver Brook Assn Conservation Lands, Rte. 130, Hollis, New Hampshire
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 16 cm)

12/22/2011 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm)

12/10/2011 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 4½ × 7" (11 × 17 cm)

(The oval leaves and red berry is partridgeberry [Mitchella repens.]) · 12/10/2011 · Groton Place and Sabine Woods, Groton, Massachusetts
≈ 9 × 6" (23 × 15 cm)

Range:

About this map...