orthotrichum bristle moss of dry bark and exposed rock faces
- Size
- Height: 1–3 cm
- Lifespan
- 5–10 years
- Diet
- Grows on bark of trees, rocks, and wood in damp, shaded forests. Requires consistent moisture, stable bark surfaces, and protection from direct sunlight.
- Habitat
- Old-growth forest understoreys with rough-barked trees, deep shade, and consistently high humidity from canopy cover.
- Range
- Found throughout the North and South Islands on bark of native and introduced trees, rocks, and wood in damp, shaded forests. Most common in lowland and montane forests with consistent moisture.
- Endemism
- Native
- Main Threats
- None significant. Localised threats include forest clearance, removal of old trees with rough bark, and climate change reducing forest floor humidity.
- Population
- Not Threatened. Common on bark of native and introduced trees, rocks, and wood throughout New Zealand.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
This moss looks like it is holding on for dear life. A plant that bristles with intent.
Orthotrichum bristle moss forms small, dense, dark green cushions that cling to tree bark in tight clusters, bristling with intent. The stems are short and upright, the leaves narrow and pointed, often with a translucent, hair-like tip extending beyond the leaf. A moss that reaches out.
The leaves arrange in a dense spiral, giving the cushions a bristly, spiky appearance. From these cushions rise the sporophytes – long, bristle-like stalks (setae) that are pale yellow to reddish-brown, topped with capsules covered in tiny white hairs. Every part of this plant seems designed to say: do not touch. A moss with a warning.
This is one of the bristliest mosses in New Zealand. The hair-like leaf tips give the cushions a spiky appearance. The sporophytes add long, bristle-like stalks and hairy capsules, contributing to the overall bristly effect. It is the moss of the sharp edge, the one that looks like it is not to be trifled with.
The leaves have a distinct midrib and recurved margins (curled under), and the leaf surface is covered in tiny papillose bumps. Reproduction happens by spores released from the hairy capsules, the white hairs helping with dispersal.
To find orthotrichum bristle moss is to spot small, dark green, bristly cushions on tree bark. They cling tightly, bristling with hair-like leaf tips and hairy sporophytes.
The bark is rough. The moss clings, dark green and bristly, hair-like tips reaching out. A finger approaches. The moss does not move. It does not need to.
Its bristles are its shield. And the shield works.