Broom fork-moss (Dicranum scoparium) is a very common species of moss that is widespread in BC from low-elevation forests to alpine areas. It is one of the most common mosses encountered in the forests around Kamloops.

It forms relatively dense turfs consisting of single or branching stems with long and narrow pointed leaves that stick out at an angle from the stem.

Like many mosses, broom fork-moss produces a single capsule on a long stalk that elevates it above the stem. The mouth of the capsule is surrounded by teeth that open and close depending on the humidity in the air. When the air is dry the teeth curl outwards and allow spores to be released into passing air currents.

Unfortunately, there are many species of broom moss (Dicranum spp.) in BC and it often requires a microscopic examination of the moss specimen to correctly identify the species.

Broom fork-moss is one of the most common species and often forms extensive turfs in the forest on the forest floor, rocks and boulders, or, sometimes, decayed wood. It is easily confused with another common species of Dicranum that is called dusky fork-moss ( D. fuscescens) which is also very common. Broom fork-moss is slightly shinier and generally bigger than dusky fork-moss which more often occurs on decayed wood than broom fork-moss. When the plants dry out, the leaves of broom fork-moss do not twist and curl up as much as those of dusky fork-moss.

Like most mosses, the leaves of broom fork-moss are one-layer thick except for the midrib that runs up the middle of the leaf. The leaf cells of broom fork-moss as shown below are long and narrow whereas those of dusky fork-moss are much shorter.

One of the distinctive features of broom fork-moss are the pitted leaf cell walls in cells near the bottom part of the leaf. These are distinctive thin areas in the cell wall that sometimes appear as small breaks in the thick cell wall between cells. These features sometime help in moss identification.