# rough goose neck moss

*Hylocomiadelphus triquetrus*

Historically, its springy, resilient cushions were harvested in large quantities to pack fragile glassware and chink log cabins.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Bryophyta › Bryopsida › Hypnales › Hylocomiaceae › Hylocomiadelphus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Humus-rich forest floors, decaying logs, and shaded boulder bases in boreal and temperate coniferous or mixed woodlands
- **Diet:** Autotrophic; absorbs water, carbon dioxide, and dissolved mineral nutrients across its leaf and stem surfaces via photosynthesis
- **Range:** Canada, United States, Northern Europe, Central Europe, Russia, Japan
- **Size:** Shoots typically measure 10–20 cm long
- **Lifespan:** 3–10 years per shoot
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Canopy removal from clear-cut logging, intensive soil compaction, and severe air pollution
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless and non-toxic. It poses no danger from stings, bites, or contact poisons. Avoid heavy trampling to prevent damage to fragile ground mats.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/100cdf41-678c-4db8-9d29-b8e91ba0e98c
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1138381

- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/574195932/medium.jpg (HermannSchachner, PD, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.