Alpine Haircap Moss

Alpine Haircap Moss, Polytrichastrum alpinum, is a moss in the family Polytrichaceae that typically grows fifteen to twenty centimeters tall, forming a loose, muddy green to bluish-green or brownish lawn of upright stems with tufted branches. It grows from shaded to sunny sites on fresh to moist, nutrient-poor soils that may be calcareous or base-poor, colonizing stony ground, boulders, and alpine terrain above the treeline. It has an unusually wide range, found in Asia, Africa, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, and Antarctica, occupying arctic and boreal regions across northern Europe and montane or alpine areas further south. The moss is dioecious and fruits regularly, with spores maturing in summer.