Polytrichum is the moss usually illustrated in introductory botany textbooks. They are referred to as the Hair-Cap Mosses because several hairs cover the calyptra. Polytrichum is a member of the Polytrichaceae. Polytrichum ohioense known as the Ohio Hair-Cap Moss can be found on soil, humus, and rocks in dry to moist hardwood forests. P. ohioense is typically found in mesic woodland habitats, which can be useful in its identification. This species is found widespread in eastern North America, New Mexico, and Europe.

Gametophyte

P. ohioense are moderately robust upright mosses appearing dark-green to brown in color. They are 1.5-6 cm high. Leaves are linear-lanceolate from a sheathing base with toothed margins. They have 30-40 entire lamellae approximately 3-7 cells high, with distinctive flat topped marginal cells (Crum 1983). Polytrichum has both hydroids (water conducting cells) and leptoids (food conducting cells).

Sporophyte

Polytrichum has multicellular peristome teeth on the mouth of the capsule. P. ohioense has capsules 2-5 mm long and setae 15-85 mm long, both yellowish in color. The capsules are 4-5 angled with a hairy calyptra. The large capsules of Polytrichum can resemble grains of wheat, and are often broken off and apparently eaten by small animals (Crum 1983).

Uses

Currently Polytrichum has little economic importance but was frequently used in early times for stuffing pillows and sleeping mattresses. The wiry stems stripped of their leaves were also used in making small brooms. The stems have been found woven into mats from excavations of Roman Britain. Polytrichum is often used to produce a dark green turf in Japanese gardens due to its rapid vegetative expansion when transplanted (Schofield 1985). The oil expressed from these Hair-Cap Mosses was once used by women on their hair, another application of the Doctrine of Signatures (Crum 1983).

Literature Cited

Crum, Howard. 1983. Mosses of the Great Lakes Forest, 3rd Edition. pp. 371-377, University of Michigan, Michigan.

Schofield. 1985. Introduction to Bryology. p. 71, Macmillan Publishing Company, New York.

Written by Kathy Aleric