I was thinking over this entry (and the previous one) earlier and I realised something -- the word "Polytrichum" isn't necessarily an easy word to read and then pronounce correctly. So, for the record, it's pronounced "politrickum" -- or at least, in the UK it is.
The second moss we saw at Abbot's moss was Polytrichum commune. It's common names include Common Haircap Moss, Common Hair Moss and Great Goldilocks. These species of moss are called hair mosses because because the spore producing part of the moss (sporophyte) has hairs that stick out from the protective hood that covers the spore case (the calyptra). The word "calyptra" is medieval Latin, from the Greek word "kaluptein" (to cover).
Common Haircap Moss is bigger than Juniper Haircap -- in fact, it can grow up to 28 inches long, though usually it reaches anywhere between 2-12" long and looks far more "bottle brushy" than the Juniper Haircap:
Other differences include toothed leaves with parallel sides. It also has brown leaf tips.
It's found throughout the more temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere and grows in heathlands and bogs. It also grows in Australia and New Zealand and has been found woven into the fabric of Maori cloaks. It's other uses include being made into doormats and brushes in Sweden and being used for bedding and quilting by Linnaeus himself -- and he would not be alone in doing this in the late 1700s! Oil from the plant was used as a rinse for hair in addition to it teas being made to relieve gall bladder and kidney stones.
Finally, baskets made of Common Haircap have also been found, though these were baskets made by Romans in around 86AD in Newstead, England:
I found this in a digitised version of a book written in 1911 by a chap named Curle. He also writes "The stems of this moss are commonly a foot to eighteen inches long, and often attain a length considerably greater. The central stele, when cleaned, forms, as I have proved for myself, a tough pliable strand easily plaited, and quite suitable for the formation of such articles as baskets. When freshly cleaned, the core has a reddish colour and glossy surface, and basket-work of the material would not only be quite strong, but would, at least at first, have an attractive appearance."
He also notes that the tradition of doing this was probably pre-Roman. If you want to read more, the digitised version of the book is here: http://www.curlesnewstead.org.uk/index.htm
The second moss we saw at Abbot's moss was Polytrichum commune. It's common names include Common Haircap Moss, Common Hair Moss and Great Goldilocks. These species of moss are called hair mosses because because the spore producing part of the moss (sporophyte) has hairs that stick out from the protective hood that covers the spore case (the calyptra). The word "calyptra" is medieval Latin, from the Greek word "kaluptein" (to cover).
Common Haircap Moss is bigger than Juniper Haircap -- in fact, it can grow up to 28 inches long, though usually it reaches anywhere between 2-12" long and looks far more "bottle brushy" than the Juniper Haircap:
Other differences include toothed leaves with parallel sides. It also has brown leaf tips.
It's found throughout the more temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere and grows in heathlands and bogs. It also grows in Australia and New Zealand and has been found woven into the fabric of Maori cloaks. It's other uses include being made into doormats and brushes in Sweden and being used for bedding and quilting by Linnaeus himself -- and he would not be alone in doing this in the late 1700s! Oil from the plant was used as a rinse for hair in addition to it teas being made to relieve gall bladder and kidney stones.
Finally, baskets made of Common Haircap have also been found, though these were baskets made by Romans in around 86AD in Newstead, England:
I found this in a digitised version of a book written in 1911 by a chap named Curle. He also writes "The stems of this moss are commonly a foot to eighteen inches long, and often attain a length considerably greater. The central stele, when cleaned, forms, as I have proved for myself, a tough pliable strand easily plaited, and quite suitable for the formation of such articles as baskets. When freshly cleaned, the core has a reddish colour and glossy surface, and basket-work of the material would not only be quite strong, but would, at least at first, have an attractive appearance."
He also notes that the tradition of doing this was probably pre-Roman. If you want to read more, the digitised version of the book is here: http://www.curlesnewstead.org.uk/index.htm
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