EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

A Moss With Surprising Uses

Common Haircap Moss (Polytrichum commune), Family Polytrichaceae
Bamboo Grove, Kyoto, Honshu Island, Japan

Explanation:  Carpeting this open woodland near a dense bamboo grove here in Kyoto, Honshu Island, Japan, is this thick, dense moss cover.  This is common haircap moss, well named because this species, and the genus, are very widely distributed in moist forest environments.  

One source notes that the native Maori of New Zealand have used it as decorative material woven into their cloaks.  And its leaves are used for brooms and brushes, and woven into mats, rugs, baskets, and more.  And a tea can be made from the the leaves to relieve and dissolve gall bladder stones and kidney stones (but check that out first with your doctor!).  And used as a women's hair rinse.  And ... even more.

Another source notes that common haircap moss also provides habitat for small invertebrates, and it can store carbon, and aid in soil formation.  

And it is visually striking when it carpets the forest floor.

This is truly a humble life form with an amazing variety of uses and values!