Hylocomium splendens

Step moss is one of the most well-known and widespread species of moss in British Columbia. It is one of the first “feather mosses” (large branching mosses that dominate the forest floor) that you will find as you move from the open grasslands in the Kamloops area into open Douglas-fir forests where it often occurs on the forest floor on shaded north-facing slopes.

Step moss often has a distinct growth form. It forms large fern-like branching fronds in which a new frond is produced each year that grows from the centre of the previous year’s frond. Sometimes you can tell the age of a moss stem by how many fronds have been produced as each frond represents a year’s growth.

The stems have closely overlapping leaves that are only one-cell layer thick and cover bright red stems.

Moss capsules which release spores that produce new plants are uncommon. When they do occur, they occur in a group on the upper side of the main stem of a moss frond.

The size and colour of step moss can vary quite a bit. In northern Arctic regions, the fronds are so reduced in size that the distinctive individual fronds we see so easily are often not apparent in arctic specimens.