Crisped pincushion

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List

LC - Least Concern (Europe)

NatureServe

NNR - Unranked
SNR - Unranked

Minnesota

not listed

Description

Crisped pincushion is a common, small to medium-sized moss. It occurs in Europe, Asia, and North America. In the United States and southern Canada, it occurs east of the Great Plains and on the West Coast, with disjunct populations around major metropolitan areas in between. It is common in Minnesota.

Crisped pincushion grows on the trunks of trees. It usually appears as a neat, dense, circular tuft ¾″ to 1″ (2.0 to 2.5 cm) in diameter, though it can spread out. If it grows larger it often merges with an adjacent tuft and the combined colony loses that perfectly round symmetry.

The stems are erect, 1⁄64″ to 1″ (0.5 to 2.5 cm) long, and sparsely branched.

The leaves are erect, narrowly lance-shaped to linear and 1⁄16″ to ⅛″ (1.7 to 3.0 mm) long. The base is broadened, egg-shaped, and concave, like a spoon; the tip is sharply pointed; and the margins are flat or bent downward (reflexed), at least near the base. The leaves are widely spreading when moist. When dry, they become very contorted, crisped, and twisted, but they do not wrap around the stem.

The fruiting body is a relatively large capsule on a relatively short stalk (seta). The seta is 1⁄32″ to ⅛″ (1.0 to 3.0 mm) long, raising the capsule slightly above the leaves. When young and moist, the capsule is short-oblong to oblong and green. The protective cap covering the young capsule (calyptra) is oblong, smooth, and hairy. The hairs on the calyptra extend upward, a distinguishing feature for the family Orthotrichaceae. At maturity, the calyptra drops away, revealing the bare capsule. The mature capsule is reddish brown, hairless, cylindrical, and 1⁄32″ to 1⁄16″ (0.8 to 2.0 mm) long. It has 8 strong ribs extending from the base for up to three-quarters of its length. The mouth is wide and the capsule is constricted below the mouth. Around the opening there are two rings of teeth, each with 8 teeth. The outer (exostome) teeth are lance-shaped, are covered with short, rounded bumps (papillae), and are bent backward (reflexed).

Growth Form

Acrocarpous

Height

Up to 1″ (2.5 cm)

Similar Species

Habitat

Tree trunks

Ecology

Phenology

Capsules mature year-round

Use

Distribution

Sources

3, 30, 83.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 5/13/2026).

Midwest Herbaria Portal. 2026. https://midwestherbaria.org/portal/index.php. Accessed 5/13/2026.

Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Bryophyte Portal (accessed through the Bryophyte Portal Portal, https://bryophyteportal.org/portal). Accessed 5/13/2026.

Ulota crispa (Hedw.) Brid. in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org. Accessed 5/13/2026.

Janssens, Joannes A., and The Minnesota County Biological Survey, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, State of Minnesota. County Atlas of Minnesota Mosses. May, 2000. www.dnr.state.mn.us/plants/flm/mossatlas/index.html.