Common name: Step moss, Feather moss, Fern moss

Scientific Name: Hylocomium splendens

Description: The gametophyte (leafy part) of this fern is large and robust compared to other mosses. It is shiny green in color and has a twice-pinnate stem that is covered in abundant, small, green filaments (visible with a hand lens). Annual growth segments are visible, arising just behind the tip of the previous year’s growth. Individual leaves are 2-4mm long, elliptic at the base and tapering into a sharp point at the tip. Two midribs run along the middle of each leaf. The ferns sporophytes are smooth, curved and cylindrical (Pojar and Mackinnon 1994).

Geographical range: This species of moss is found across Canada and along western parts of the Pacific Northwest coast from Alaska to Northern California (Vitt et al 1988).

Habitat: Hylocomium splendens is commonly found in lowland to middle elevation forests often found in the lower canopy or on the forest floor on humus rich in calcium (Pojar and Mackinnon 1994).

Reproduction: Mosses, like ferns, reproduce through a method of alternate generation. On the branch of a moss gametophyte (the vegetative part of the plant), male and female sex organs produce sperm and eggs. The sperm swims to the eggs to fertilize them; the fertilized egg then forms into a sporophyte. The sporophyte consists of a capsule on a stalk (seta), which grows out of the gametophyte. Spores are released from the sporophyte and grow into gametophytes. The lifecycle continues in these alternate generation stages of gametophyte and sporophyte. Moss can also grow vegetatively, where it does not require sexual reproduction but rather grows new gametophytes from the plant’s rhizoid (root) (Pojar and Mackinnon 1994).

Input requirements (food supply): Like all plants, moss depends on photosynthesis for its survival. It obtains its nutrients from particles in the air or rain that settles on the moss leaves and rhizoids. The nutrients and dead plant material that fall onto the moss roots decompose and become soil. The moss uses nutrients from the soil rhizoids, and using the energy of the sun, chemically converts the nutrients, water, and air into sugars and carbohydrates.

Role in the ecosystem: All mosses lack "true roots", but instead have root-like structures called rhizoids. These rhizoids enable the plant to secure itself to a substrate (tree bark, needle, rock). When moss establishes itself, its rhizoids trap dust particles and vegetative matter (Pojar and Mackinnon 1994). This organic matter is decomposed by mites and nematodes and creates canopy soil from which the moss obtains its nutrients. The canopy soil also nourishes the licorice fern and lichens that are also growing within the tree canopy. Nutrients that are not absorbed by other epiphytes, eventually leeches onto the forest floor when the moss mats become saturated with water.

Use as a Human Resource: Moss releases oxygen as a waste product from photosynthesis. Humans need oxygen to survive and thus moss plays an important role in supplying humans with air. During the process of photosythesis, moss also cleans the air of pollutants.

Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts are currently being screened for antitumor agents. Some documented as effective anti-tumor agents include: Polytrichum sp, Claopodium crispifolium, Plagiomnium venustum, Hylocomium splendens (Spjut et al 1986).

Moss is also an important non-timber resource that is experiencing a strong demand on the floral market. It is harvested and used in planters and wire hanging baskets. Little research has been conducted to determine the long-term impact of extensive moss harvest on the forest environment.

Notes: The age of the step moss may be estimated by counting the number of leaf-cluster increments.