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How to Use This Key
This dichotomous key will help you identify common moss species found in the Birmingham, Alabama area.
Answer each question by selecting the choice that best matches your specimen. Each choice will lead you
to the next question or to an identification.
Tips for identification:
Use a hand lens (10x magnification) for best results
Examine the leaf shape, arrangement, and tip
Note the habitat where you found the moss
Fresh, moist specimens are easier to identify than dried ones
Step 1
What is the overall growth form of the moss?
Upright (acrocarpous): Growing in tufts or cushions, with stems growing
vertically and sporophytes at the tips
Creeping or mat-forming (pleurocarpous): Growing horizontally with branching
stems and sporophytes on side branches
Step 2
What color is the moss?
Bright to yellow-green
Dark green to brownish-green
Whitish or glaucous (pale blue-green)
Step 3
Where is the moss growing?
On disturbed soil, roadsides, or bare ground - Leaves have a distinctive
reddish seta (stalk)
On rocks, walls, or soil in gardens - Forms small cushions with pear-shaped
capsules
Step 4
Examine the leaf tips. What do they look like?
Leaves with toothed tips, appearing saw-like - Stiff, wiry stems; leaves have
vertical plates (lamellae) on upper surface
Leaves with wavy, crisped margins when dry - Broad leaves with parallel ridges
on upper surface
Leaves rounded with a pointed tip - Often found near old fires or disturbed
soil
Step 5
How are the leaves arranged?
Densely packed, forming pale cushions - Leaves whitish, soft and spongy when
moist
Leaves curved to one side - Leaves lance-shaped with a single costa (midrib)
Step 6
How much branching does the moss have?
Irregularly branched - Branches not in a regular pattern
Regularly pinnate (feather-like) - Branches arranged like feathers along main
stem
Tree-like or dendroid - Resembles a tiny tree with horizontal branches
Step 7
What is the leaf shape?
Ovate to lance-shaped with a pointed tip
Tongue-shaped, rounded at tip - Growing on tree bark or rocks; leaves papillose
(bumpy)
Step 8
Where is the moss growing?
On soil, rocks, or wood in various habitats - Glossy, yellow-green; leaves
strongly plicate (pleated)
On tree bases or rotten logs - Very glossy, satiny appearance; leaves smooth
and shiny
Step 9
Examine the leaves closely. How do they appear?
Leaves curved to one side, sickle-shaped - Strongly curved when dry; golden to
yellow-green
Leaves triangular, forming fern-like fronds - Twice or thrice pinnate; leaves
papillose
Step 10
Where is this moss growing?
In wet areas, swamps, or near streams - Upright stems from creeping rhizome;
tree-like appearance
On moist soil, rocks, or logs in forests - Large, broad leaves arranged like a
rosette; leaves bordered
Fire Moss
Ceratodon purpureus
One of the most common and widespread mosses in the world, fire moss is often the first to colonize
disturbed areas.
Key Characteristics:
Bright green to yellow-green tufts
Distinctive purple-red seta (stalk) when mature
Small, lance-shaped leaves
Grows 1-3 cm tall
Habitat:
Bare soil, roadsides, burned areas, old fields, gardens, sidewalk cracks
Where to find in Birmingham: Very common on disturbed soil around construction sites,
parking lots, and along roadsides throughout the metro area.
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Silver Moss / Bryum
Bryum argenteum
A cosmopolitan moss with a distinctive silvery appearance, extremely tolerant of urban conditions.
Key Characteristics:
Silvery-green color due to hyaline (clear) leaf tips
Forms small, tight cushions
Pear-shaped capsules when present
Very small, typically under 1 cm tall
Habitat:
Sidewalks, walls, rocks, compacted soil, urban environments
Where to find in Birmingham: Extremely common on concrete surfaces, between pavers,
and on walls downtown and in residential areas.
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Haircap Moss
Polytrichum commune
One of the largest and most recognizable mosses, often forming extensive carpets in suitable habitats.
Key Characteristics:
Dark green to brownish-green
Stiff, wiry stems up to 15 cm tall
Leaves with parallel vertical plates (lamellae) on upper surface
Leaves with toothed margins
Capsules square or angular, covered with hairy calyptra
Habitat:
Acidic soil in woods, old fields, bogs, and disturbed areas
Where to find in Birmingham: Common in Oak Mountain State Park and Ruffner Mountain,
especially in acidic forest soils.
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Crane's Bill Moss
Atrichum angustatum
A distinctive moss with broad, crisped leaves that have parallel ridges on their upper surface.
Key Characteristics:
Dark green leaves
Leaves with undulate (wavy) margins, especially when dry
Parallel ridges (lamellae) on upper leaf surface
Grows in small tufts, 2-4 cm tall
Cylindrical capsules on long setae
Habitat:
Moist soil along trails, stream banks, and disturbed forest areas
Where to find in Birmingham: Found along shaded trails in Turkey Creek Nature Preserve
and Red Mountain Park.
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Cord Moss
Funaria hygrometrica
A pioneer moss that quickly colonizes areas after fires or soil disturbance.
Key Characteristics:
Bright yellow-green to green
Pear-shaped capsules that are asymmetric
Capsule on a hygroscopic seta that twists when dry
Leaves rounded with a pointed tip
Forms small patches
Habitat:
Disturbed soil, burned areas, greenhouses, potting soil
Where to find in Birmingham: Common in gardens and greenhouses; appears after
controlled burns in natural areas.
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Pincushion Moss
Leucobryum glaucum
A beautiful moss forming distinctive pale, cushion-like mounds in forests.
Key Characteristics:
Whitish to pale glaucous green color
Forms dense, rounded cushions
Leaves whitish, giving the cushion a frosted appearance
Spongy texture when moist, brittle when dry
Can grow quite large (10-20 cm diameter)
Habitat:
Acidic forest floor, especially under pines and hardwoods
Where to find in Birmingham: Common in Oak Mountain State Park and mature forests in
Homewood Forest Preserve.
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Fork Moss / Broom Moss
Dicranum scoparium
A very common forest moss with leaves that characteristically curve to one side.
Key Characteristics:
Yellow-green to dark green
Leaves curved to one side like a broom
Lance-shaped leaves with a single strong midrib
Forms loose tufts or mats
Grows 3-8 cm tall
Habitat:
Decaying logs, tree bases, rocks in moist forests
Where to find in Birmingham: Very common on rotting logs and tree bases in Oak
Mountain, Ruffner Mountain, and Turkey Creek.
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Satin Moss
Brachythecium rutabulum
A common and variable pleurocarpous moss with a glossy appearance.
Key Characteristics:
Glossy, yellow-green to golden-green
Irregularly branched
Leaves strongly pleated (plicate)
Ovate-lanceolate leaves with pointed tips
Forms loose to dense mats
Habitat:
Soil, rocks, logs, tree bases in various habitats
Where to find in Birmingham: Widespread in parks and natural areas; common on soil and
at tree bases along trails.
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Entodon Moss
Entodon seductrix
A lustrous moss with a distinctive satiny sheen, common on tree bark.
Key Characteristics:
Very glossy, satiny appearance
Yellow-green to golden color
Irregularly branched, forming smooth mats
Leaves symmetric, smooth, and shiny
Thin, complanate (flattened) appearance
Habitat:
Tree bases, rotten logs, occasionally rocks
Where to find in Birmingham: Very common on tree trunks in urban parks and natural
areas throughout Jefferson County.
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Tree Apron Moss
Anomodon attenuatus
A common moss on tree bark in southeastern forests, with distinctive papillose leaves.
Key Characteristics:
Dark green to yellow-green
Irregularly branched
Leaves tongue-shaped, rounded at tip
Leaves papillose (bumpy texture under magnification)
Forms loose mats on bark
Habitat:
Tree bark, especially hardwoods, occasionally on rocks
Where to find in Birmingham: Abundant on oak and hickory trees in Ruffner Mountain and
Oak Mountain State Park.
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Feather Moss
Hypnum curvifolium
A beautiful moss with sickle-shaped leaves arranged in a feather-like pattern.
Key Characteristics:
Golden to yellow-green, glossy
Regularly pinnate (feather-like) branching
Leaves strongly curved to one side (falcate-secund)
Sickle-shaped leaves, especially when dry
Forms extensive mats
Habitat:
Logs, tree bases, soil in moist forests
Where to find in Birmingham: Common in moist ravines and creek sides in Turkey Creek
Nature Preserve and Moss Rock Preserve.
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Fern Moss
Thuidium delicatulum
A delicate, fern-like moss with intricate branching patterns.
Key Characteristics:
Yellow-green to bright green
Twice to thrice pinnately branched (like a fern frond)
Triangular leaves
Leaves papillose (bumpy under magnification)
Forms delicate, lacy mats
Habitat:
Soil, logs, rocks in moist forests
Where to find in Birmingham: Found in rich, moist woods at Oak Mountain and along
shaded stream banks.
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Tree Moss
Climacium americanum
A distinctive moss with a tree-like growth form, growing from a creeping underground stem.
Key Characteristics:
Dark green to yellow-green
Tree-like (dendroid) growth form
Upright stems from horizontal rhizome
Branches spreading horizontally from upright stem
Grows 5-10 cm tall
Habitat:
Swamps, wet woods, stream margins, seeps
Where to find in Birmingham: Found in wet areas near streams in Turkey Creek and in
seepage areas at Ruffner Mountain.
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Leafy Moss
Plagiomnium cuspidatum
A beautiful moss with large, broad leaves arranged in a rosette pattern.
Key Characteristics:
Bright green to dark green
Large, broad leaves (2-5 mm long)
Leaves arranged in a rosette at stem tips
Leaves bordered by elongated cells
Leaves with a toothed margin
Habitat:
Moist soil, rocks, logs in forests; stream banks
Where to find in Birmingham: Common on moist rocks and logs near streams in Oak
Mountain and Turkey Creek.
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