Racomitrium lanuginosum
species of plant
Racomitrium lanuginosum is a widespread species of moss found in montane and arctic tundra, the genus Racomitrium is found across the Northern and Southern hemispheres., however Racomitrium lanuginosum is only found in the Northern hemisphere. It grows as large mats on exposed rock and in boulder scree, particularly on acidic rocks. Its leaves have a characteristically decurrent and toothed hair-point, which gives rise to its regional common names woolly fringemoss, hoary rock-moss and woolly moss.
Description
Racomitrium lanuginosum grows as "large cushiony mats". Its stems are up to 12 centimetres (4.7 in) long and irregularly branched. The leaves are 3–5 millimetres (0.12–0.20 in) long, 0.6–0.9 mm (0.02–0.04 in) wide, lanceolate, pointed and with a strong midrib. They end in a long, thin hair-point, with teeth along both sides pointing 40°–90° from the axis of the leaf. The hyaline (transparent) margins of the hair-point are decurrent along the sides of the leaf. Especially when dry, these hair-points give the plant a downy appearance, which is referenced in several of the common names for the species.
Sporophytes are rarely produced, although they are reported to be abundant in coastal areas.
The public source identifies “Racomitrium lanuginosum” as species of plant. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Racomitrium, lanuginosum and species.
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The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 4, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q3024247. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
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This entry incorporates text from “Racomitrium lanuginosum” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.