Overview
A plush, pillow-like moss that forms soft green cushions on the forest floor - appearing bright green when wet and whitish-gray when dry.
Ecology
A mound-forming forest moss (Leucobryum glaucum) that functions like a living sponge. Its dense cushions store rain and fog drip, then release moisture slowly, buffering the forest floor against drying and temperature swings. The hummocks trap needles, dust, and mineral particles, accelerating humus formation on rocks, stumps, and thin soils and creating germination sites for tree seedlings, fungi, and other bryophytes. Cushions shelter micro-fauna (springtails, mites, nematodes) and small amphibians. Highly susceptible to crushing - heavy trampling collapses decades of growth - so intact, pale cushions indicate undisturbed, acidic, shady woodlands with relatively clean air.