caps the damp acidic bog soils

Size
Height: 5–15 cm
Lifespan
5–10 years
Diet
Photosynthetic. Requires consistent moisture, acidic soil, and good light. Tolerates poor soils, sun, and moderate drought. One of the most widespread mosses in the world.
Habitat
Grows in damp, acidic soils throughout New Zealand, from sea level to the subalpine zone, in bogs, forest clearings, and along stream banks.
Range
Found throughout the North and South Islands in damp, acidic soils in bogs, forest clearings, and stream banks. Most common in lowland and montane areas with consistent moisture.
Endemism
Native
Main Threats
None significant. This species is one of the most widespread mosses in the world. Localised threats include drainage of bogs and wetlands, habitat loss from land development, and climate change.
Population
Not Threatened. Common haircap moss is one of the most widespread mosses in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica. In New Zealand, it is common in damp, acidic habitats.
Conservation Status
Not Threatened
Human Risk
harmless
Handling Note
common moss, safe to handle
Conservation Note
Native moss; not assessed by NZTCS as bryophytes are generally outside the scope of current threat classifications.
Te Ao Māori
No recorded Māori name distinguishes the common haircap moss from other mosses. Mosses were generally called pūkohu (mosses and lichens) or rimu (a general term for small, low-growing plants). The upright, bristly moss on the forest floor would have been noticed. It looked like a tiny forest. Like the hair of the earth. But no distinct name survives. The common haircap moss was sometimes used as a dressing for wounds. The soft, spongy mats were applied to cuts to stop bleeding.
The one that looks like a tiny forest of green spears has stems that are upright and unbranched. Reaching 5 to 15 centimetres in height. The leaves are long. Narrow. Pointed. Arranged in a dense spiral around the stem. They are stiff and bristly. Sticking out at right angles like the bristles of a brush. When you look down at a colony of haircap moss, you see a carpet of green points. A miniature forest that would be a forest if you were the size of an ant. It is the moss of the miniature world. What makes it special is the structure. The common haircap moss is one of the most structurally advanced mosses in New Zealand. Unlike most mosses, which are only a few cells thick, the haircap moss has a primitive vascular system. Specialised cells transport water and nutrients up the stem. This allows it to grow taller than most other mosses. Standing upright like a tiny tree. It also has a cuticle. A waxy layer that prevents water loss. And leaves that are not just one cell thick but have distinct midribs. It is the moss that thinks it is a plant. The leaves are covered in microscopic, upright plates called lamellae. Tiny green fins that run along the upper surface of the leaf. These lamellae increase the surface area for photosynthesis. Allowing the moss to capture more light. They also help trap moisture. Creating a humid microclimate around the leaf. Under a microscope, the lamellae are beautiful. Rows of tiny green fins standing upright like a miniature forest on the leaf itself. Biologically, the common haircap moss reproduces by spores. Released from capsules at the tips of tall, reddish-brown stalks. The capsules are square-shaped when young. With a hairy calyptra (cap) that gives the moss its name. The spores are tiny. Carried by the wind to new locations. To find common haircap moss is to find the tiny forest on the ground. It is upright. Bristly. Green. A miniature world at your feet. You can run your finger over the tips and feel the bristles. The points. The texture of a tiny forest. It is the moss of the miniature world. The one that passes for a forest if you shrink your expectations enough.