Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Bank Haircap Moss / Mahovina

Polytrichastrum formosum

Description:

A medium-sized plant with erect, unbranched, scattered shoots in loose tufts, 5–10 cm tall, and leaves 1 cm long or slightly more. The bright, dark green, straight leaves hug the stem, becoming wavy and duller when dry. The spreading, narrow, triangular limb extends from a matt, colourless sheathing base. Narrow, colourless margins are distinctly toothed, and become inrolled to protect the up to 70 ridges of tissue on the upper surface of the nerve as the leaf dries out.

Habitat:

Typical of deciduous woodlands in the lowlands, on soils from strongly acidic to nearly neutral, but most frequent where mildly acidic. Also occurs in upland woodlands on leached soils and well-drained moorlands. It can be found on lowland heaths, avoiding the wettest areas favoured by Polytrichum commune and the drier, more exposed substrates of P. piliferum and P. juniperinum. It occasionally grows in block scree.

Notes:

Can be confused with stunted plants of the usually taller Polytrichum commune this favours wetter, less well-drained, boggy environments. When fruiting, P. commune can be told by its more cubic.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

No Comments

injica
Spotted by
injica

Zagreb, Croatia

Spotted on Mar 19, 2013
Submitted on Mar 19, 2013

Related Spottings

Bank Haircap Moss Haircap Moss calyptrae

Nearby Spottings

Wild Arum / Kozlac Split Gill / Obična dvolisnica Moss (Brachythecium capillaceum) Scarlet Elf Cup / Crveni peharček
Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team