haircap mosses
Polytrichum
Polytrichum is a genus of mosses — commonly called haircap moss or hair moss — which contains approximately 70 species that have a cosmopolitan distribution.
The genus Polytrichum has a number of closely related sporophytic characters. The scientific name is derived from the Ancient Greek words polys, meaning "many", and thrix, meaning "hair". This name was used in ancient times to refer to plants with fine, hairlike parts, including mosses, but this application specifically refers to the hairy calyptras found on young sporophytes. A similar naming related to hair appears in Old Norse, haddr silfjar, "hair of Sif", goddess from Norse Mythology, wife of the god Thor. There are two major sections of Polytrichum species. The first — section Polytrichum — has narrow, toothed, and relatively erect leaf margins. The other — section Juniperifolia — has broad, entire, and sharply inflexed leaf margins that enclose the lamellae on the upper leaf surface.
21 branches of this genus, most-observed first
Common Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum commune
juniper haircap moss
speciesPolytrichum juniperinum
Bank Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum formosum
bristly haircap moss
speciesPolytrichum piliferum
Bog Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum strictum
Ohio Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum ohioense
Eastern Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum pallidisetum
Long-stalked Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum longisetum
Dense Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum perigoniale
Polytrichum subpilosum
speciesPolytrichum subpilosum
Arctic Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum hyperboreum
Swartz's Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum swartzii
Jensen's Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum jensenii
Showy Haircap Moss
speciesPolytrichum densifolium
Polytrichum angustifolium
speciesPolytrichum angustifolium
Polytrichum sprucei
speciesPolytrichum sprucei
Polytrichum sphaerothecium
speciesPolytrichum sphaerothecium
Polytrichum maoriae
speciesPolytrichum maoriae
Polytrichum ericoides
speciesPolytrichum ericoides
Polytrichum juniperellum
speciesPolytrichum juniperellum
Polytrichum autranii
speciesPolytrichum autranii
Where it lives
Recorded sightings
—
geo-referenced records in GBIF, from museums, herbaria and field observers.
Drag the globe to turn it. Dots are where records exist, not a range map; darker means more records.
In the old herbals & bestiaries
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1549 · p.661
On the Names of Plants
Hieronymus Bock (Tragus) · 1552 · p.600
Notable Commentaries on the History of Plants
Leonhart Fuchs · 1549 · p.661
Herbarium Portatile, Oder Behendes Kräuter- und Gewächs-Buch: Darinn nicht allein 1363. so wol Einheimische als Außländndische Kräuter mit Lateinisch und Deutscher Benennung abgebildet, sondern auch die meisten, so in der Medicin gebräuchlich, kürtzlich erkläret werden
Panckow, Thomas · 1656 · p.49
Herbarium Portatile, Oder Behendes Kräuter- und Gewächs-Buch: Darinn nicht allein 1363. so wol Einheimische als Außländndische Kräuter mit Lateinisch und Deutscher Benennung abgebildet, sondern auch die meisten, so in der Medicin gebräuchlich, kürtzlich erkläret werden
Panckow, Thomas · 1656 · p.49
Herbarium Portatile, Oder Behendes Kräuter- und Gewächs-Buch: Darinn nicht allein 1363. so wol Einheimische als Außländndische Kräuter mit Lateinisch und Deutscher Benennung abgebildet, sondern auch die meisten, so in der Medicin gebräuchlich, kürtzlich erkläret werden
Panckow, Thomas · 1656 · p.48
In the stacks
Searching the stacks…
Every page naming Polytrichum in the Biodiversity Heritage Library →
This page is assembled live from iNaturalist, GBIF, Wikipedia, the Source Library and the Internet Archive. It is not yet part of the hand-edited codex. iNaturalist taxon 67912.