We have recently published ‘Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions’: i.e. tropical and sub-tropical regions. We rely on regular donations to keep our free database going and help fund development of this and another book we are planning on food forest plants for Mediterranean climates. Please give what you can to keep PFAF properly funded. More >>>

Follow Us:

 

Polytrichum commune - Hedw.

Common Name Common haircap, Great golden maidenhair,
Family Polytrichaceae
USDA hardiness 2-10
Known Hazards None Known
Habitats Typically grows in bogs, wet heathland and along forest streams.
Range Widely distributed throughout temperate and boreal latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere and also found in Mexico, several Pacific Islands including New Zealand, and also in Australia.
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Fully Hardy Moist Soil Wet Soil Full shade Semi-shade Full sun
Polytrichum commune Common haircap, Great golden maidenhair,


edibleplants.org
Polytrichum commune Common haircap, Great golden maidenhair,
Kristian Peters - Fabelfroh wikimedia.org

 

Translate this page:

Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Polytrichum commune is an evergreen Perennial growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 0.3 m (1ft) at a slow rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3. The flowers are pollinated by Wind.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and can grow in nutritionally poor soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It can grow in full shade (deep woodland) semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

P. assimile Hampe P. brachypelma Müll. Hal. P. cataractarum Müll. Hal. P. commune var. commune P. commune var. uliginosum Wallr. P. elatum P. Beauv. P. leonii Papp P. madagassum Hampe P. mildbraedii Broth. P. paludicola Cardot P. purpurascens Brid. P. quadrangulare Gilib. P. radulifolium Müll. Hal. P. remotifolium P. Beauv. P. subformosum var. anomalum Thér

Plant Habitats

Edible Uses

None Known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


Used by some people to make a tea to dissolve kidney and gall bladder stones (borealforest.org).

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Tropical Plants

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
Edible Temperate Plants

Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

More
PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital media.
More Books

PFAF have eight books available in paperback and digital formats. Browse the shop for more information.

Shop Now

Other Uses

A low to medium density groundcover with a mat forming habit. An Ornamental for shady, damp areas. It is used by some people to make a tea to dissolve kidney and gall bladder stones (borealforest.org). Good for hair, Made into a tea to rinse to strengthen hair. Stems have been woven and used to make baskets (tolweb.org).

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Prefers lightly shaded areas with moist slightly acidic soil, it can also survive in areas of full sunlight provided the soil is moist. Can also grow in areas of poor soil and slow drainage. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. A clumping mat former. Forming a dense prostrate carpet spreading indefinitely [1-2].

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

image

The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

Shop Now

Plant Propagation

Spores. During the summer spores are released and carried by the wind.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Common haircap, great golden maidenhair, great goldilocks, common haircap moss, common hair moss

Native Range

Coming Soon

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : Not Listed.

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Polytrichum juniperinumHair-Cap Moss, Juniper polytrichum mossPerennial0.0 0-0  LMSNDM02 

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Hedw.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Add a comment

If you have important information about this plant that may help other users please add a comment or link below. Only comments or links that are felt to be directly relevant to a plant will be included. If you think a comment/link or information contained on this page is inaccurate or misleading we would welcome your feedback at [email protected]. If you have questions about a plant please use the Forum on this website as we do not have the resources to answer questions ourselves.

* Please note: the comments by website users are not necessarily those held by PFAF and may give misleading or inaccurate information.

To leave a comment please Register or login here All comments need to be approved so will not appear immediately.

Subject : Polytrichum commune  
© 2010, Plants For A Future. Plants For A Future is a charitable company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Charity No. 1057719, Company No. 3204567.