Leucobryum glaucum (Hedw.) Ångstr.
Pincushion moss, leucobryum moss
Pin cushion moss is widely distributed in temperate parts of North America and Europe.
Identification: One look at pin cushion moss and you can understand the name. Not only does it look the part, but it actually served as pin cushions for many years. The mosses are easy to pick up, and hold together well. Forming rounded mounds called turfs up to 2′ (60 cm) across and up to 4½″ (12 cm) high, they are easily identified by shape. They are green, or pale grayish/bluish green. Individual leaflets are ⅛–¼″ (3–9 mm) long, somewhat resembling tiny aloe leaves, with sharp tips.
Habitats: Temperate forests of the northern hemisphere.
Online References:
7/11/2012 · Jeff Smith Trail, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
ID is uncertain 
9/20/2013 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) 
10/8/2016 · Groton Town Forest, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 6″ (17 × 14 cm) 
3/17/2016 · Kibby’s Climb, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 6″ (20 × 16 cm) 
8/30/2020 · Cliff Trail, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 8 × 4½″ (19 × 12 cm) 
9/16/2016 · Cadillac Mountain South Ridge Tr, Bar Harbor, Maine 
6/9/2016 · Monhegan Island, Maine 
8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 12 cm) ID is uncertain 
2/5/2012 · Beaver Brook Association Trails, W. Hollis St., Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) 
8/25/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 4 × 4″ (11 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/18/2016 · Barred Island Preserve, Deer Isle, Maine 
4/8/2021 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
7/7/2026 · Butler Head Preserve, Bath, Maine · ≈ 1½ × 1′ (48 × 32 cm) 
8/25/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 9 × 9″ (22 × 21 cm) 
2/17/2012 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 13 cm) ID is uncertain 
4/7/2021 · Hackett and Minot Trails, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 10″ (16 × 24 cm) 
9/20/2013 · Mt. Watatic, Ashby, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (19 × 12 cm) 
8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 10 × 6″ (24 × 16 cm) 
8/25/2017 · Pack Monadnock, near summit, Peterborough · ≈ 9 × 7″ (22 × 19 cm) 
9/29/2013 · North Bubble Hike, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 16 cm) 
2/19/2012 · Wildlife Pond Trail, Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 11 × 9″ (28 × 23 cm) 
7/30/2017 · Jason’s Cutoff and Nearby Trails, Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
9/29/2013 · North Bubble Hike, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 6 × 6″ (15 × 16 cm) 
The dark green moss poking through is probably Polytrichum commune · 5/11/2016 · Pearl Hill State Park, Ashby, Massachusetts 
10/10/2021 · 88 Wilderness Lane, Norway, Maine · ≈ 5 × 3″ (12 × 8.4 cm) 
8/30/2020 · Cliff Trail, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) 
8/27/2016 · Williams Barn and Sørhaug Woods, Groton, Massachusetts 
10/10/2021 · 88 Wilderness Lane, Norway, Maine · ≈ 4 × 2½″ (10 × 7 cm) 
8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (16 × 11 cm) ID is uncertain 
2/17/2012 · Mt. Lebanon St., Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
8/16/2020 · Long Reach Preserve, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 6 × 4″ (14 × 10 cm) 
8/22/2023 · Schiller Coastal Studies Center, Orr’s Island, Maine · ≈ 4 × 4″ (10 × 10 cm) 
8/24/2013 · Cranberry Meadow Pond Trail, Monadnock Conservancy, Peterborough, New Hampshire · ≈ 5 × 8″ (12 × 19 cm) ID is uncertain 
| 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 | Dicranales | An order of haplolepideous mosses, having only one circle of teeth from a column of cells |
| Family | Leucobryaceae | Cushion mosses |
| Genus | Leucobryum | From the Greek leukos, “white,” and bryon, “moss.” |
| Species | glaucum | Glaucous, from the Greek meaning “bluish-gray,” referring primarily to the leaves, and specifically to “bloom,” the fine, whitish powder that coats the leaves of certain plants |
Leucobryum glaucum description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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