Hypnum imponens Hedw.
Brocade moss, feather moss, hypnum moss
Feather moss is so cool!
Identification: Plants resemble miniature ferns, bit enough to see clearly as close range. The “fronds” are so shiny that the fronds almost appear to be glowing. They are golden to yellow-green to brownish. Stems are reddish-brown, and 1–4″ (3–10 cm) long. Stem leaves are falcate-secund (fancy talk for curved and down-pointing). They are triangular-ovate to oblong-lanceolate, ~1/16 ⨉ ~1/32″ (1.8–2 ⨉ 0.6–0.8 mm). Capsules are erect to slightly inclined, cylindric, and red-brown.
Habitats: Forms dense mats on logs and thin soil over acidic rocks.
Online References:
Hypnum cupressiforme Hedw. var. imponens (Hedw.) Guim.
11/28/2020 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine 
5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine 
ID is uncertain 
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine 
2/4/2024 · Ponkpoag Pond, Milton, Massachusetts 
10/16/2016 · Appalachian Trail, Mount Everett, Mt. Washington, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine 
10/18/2013 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Brookline, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
8/25/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (16 × 11 cm) 
3/18/2025 · Berry Woods Preserve, Georgetown, Maine · ≈ 12 × 8″ (30 × 20 cm) 
3/22/2025 · Owens Mouth Preserve West, Boothbay, Maine · ≈ 2 × 1′ (57 × 38 cm) 
4/29/2015 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 10 cm) 
4/13/2013 · Pearl Hill State Park, Townsend, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 3½″ (13 × 9.2 cm) 
5/3/2025 · Merritt Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 6 × 3½″ (14 × 9.6 cm) 
5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine 
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 6″ (12 × 14 cm) 
4/3/2021 · Tarbox Preserve, Topsham, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (16 × 11 cm) 
3/18/2025 · Berry Woods Preserve, Georgetown, Maine · ≈ 4½ × 3″ (12 × 8.1 cm) 
2/4/2024 · Ponkpoag Pond, Milton, Massachusetts 
5/5/2023 · Morse Mountain, Phippsburg, Maine 
5/1/2023 · Tom and Susan's, Highland Green, Topsham, Maine 
9/19/2023 · Denny Reed Trail, Phippsburg, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (14 × 11 cm) 
8/25/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) 
3/2/2024 · Lily Pond Trail, Bath, Maine 
4/24/2016 · Blue Trail, Willard Brook State Park, Ashby, New Hampshire 
11/28/2020 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine 
9/29/2013 · Compass Harbor, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 12 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Division | Bryophyta | Mosses |
| Subdivision | Musci | Mosses (all 12,000 of them) |
| Class | Bryopsida | Mosses with arthrodontous spore capsules, which is most of them |
| Subclass | Bryidae | Mosses with a double peristome with alternating tooth segments |
| Order | Hypnales | An order of Bryophyta or leafy mosses |
| Family | Hypnaceae | From New Latin Hypnum, the type genus, and -aceae |
| Genus | Hypnum | From Greek hypnos, ”sleep,“ alluding to ancient use as filler for cushions |
| Species | imponens |
Hypnum imponens description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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