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Bristly Haircap Moss

Mosses and Liverworts

Bristly haircap moss, Polytrichum piliferum, is an evergreen, perennial species of moss in the family Polytrichaceae that forms loose tufts on dry, exposed, often sandy or rocky ground across the Northern Hemisphere. Its bluish-green to grey leaves each end in a long, colorless, hair-like awn, a feature unique among related haircap mosses for being entirely transparent, giving the species its grey cast and its common name; older growth develops wine-red to reddish-brown stems.

Facts
Classification
Diet
Photosynthetic Autotroph 1
System (Realm)
Terrestrial 1
Living or Extinct
Yes 1
Scientific Name
Polytrichum piliferum 2
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Polytrichaceae, Taxa
Source GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Polytrichum piliferum
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Asia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Global Biodiversity Information Facility: GBIF species distributions: Bristly Haircap MossDistributions
Quote, Distributions
"locality": "Southern Asia", "status": "PRESENT", "source": "Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)"
Australia

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Global Biodiversity Information Facility: GBIF species distributions: Bristly Haircap MossDistributions
Quote, Distributions
"locality": "Australia", "status": "PRESENT", "source": "Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)"
North America

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Global Biodiversity Information Facility: GBIF species distributions: Bristly Haircap MossDistributions
Quote, Distributions
"locality": "North America", "status": "PRESENT", "source": "Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)"
South America

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Source Global Biodiversity Information Facility: GBIF species distributions: Bristly Haircap MossDistributions
Quote, Distributions
"locality": "South America", "status": "PRESENT", "source": "Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)"
Sources
1. Polytrichum piliferum (Wikipedia)
  • Lead, living organism
    This moss grows in clumps on erect shoots and becomes a red-brown colour as it grows older.
  • Article text
    Polytrichum piliferum leaves possess parallel, longitudinal lamellae of photosynthetic tissue on their upper surfaces, which are a unique characteristic associated with the Polytrichopsida.
  • Article text, habitat sentence
    The habitat of P. piliferum includes shallow soil over outcrops, exposed sandy soils of banks, gravel cover, and disturbed areas.
View the Source
2. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy: Polytrichum piliferum
GBIF Backbone TaxonomyTaxon record
Quote, Taxon record
"canonicalName": "Polytrichum piliferum"
View the Source
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