Reviewed public profile

Hypnum cupressiforme

Hypnum cupressiforme is one of the most widespread and adaptable mosses in the world. It’s a classic “carpet-forming” pleurocarp moss and very relevant for naturalistic terraria, paludaria, and ecosystem-inspired displays. It is near-cosmopolitan and can be found across Europe, Asia, North & South America, Africa, and parts of Oceania. In temperate regions, it is extremely common, but it also tolerates cooler and slightly warmer climates. Because of its adaptability, it is often one of the first mosses to colonize new or disturbed habitats. There are multiple variants known under different names, including: Cypress-leaved Plaitmoss (var. cupressiforme) Plump Plaitmoss (var. heseleri) Great Plaitmoss (var. lacunosum) Supine Plaitmoss (var. resupinatum).

Growing profile

At a glance

Plant type: moss
Typical size: micro <4cm
Light: Shade
Humidity: 50–100%

Native context

Distribution and habitat

Countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo (Congo-Brazzaville), Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Elevation: Lowland (0–500 m), Submontane (500–1,000 m), Montane (1,000–2,000 m), Subalpine (2,000–3,000 m)
Flowering: Non-flowering

Derived growing context

Climate range

Temperature profile: Cold → Hot
Mean temperature: 4–25 °C
Day temperature: 7–30 °C
Night temperature: 0–23 °C
Summer mean: 16–25 °C
Winter mean: 5–13 °C
Temperature span: 30 °C
Annual temperature swing: 3–20 °C
Seasonality: Aseasonal, Four seasons, Long winter, Monsoonal / wet-dry
Adaptability: Very adaptable

Country map loads as it comes into view. The country list remains available here.

Country boundaries: Natural Earth, public domain.

Ecosystems

Explore ecosystem knowledge

Ecosystem evidence

Habitat-specific growing context

Rainforest

Consistently wet; high humidity

Latitude: Subtropical, Tropical
Moisture: Saturated, Very humid
Elevation: Lowland, Submont
Seasonality: Aseasonal
Mean temperature: 18–25 °C
Day temperature: 21–28 °C
Night temperature: 16–23 °C
Annual temperature swing: 3–8 °C

Cloud forest

Montane + saturated air; frequent fog/condensation

Latitude: Tropical
Moisture: Saturated, Very humid
Elevation: Montane, Subalpine
Seasonality: Aseasonal
Mean temperature: 11–17 °C
Day temperature: 13–20 °C
Night temperature: 8–15 °C
Annual temperature swing: 3 °C

Wet forest

Very humid forest; frequent wetness

Latitude: Subtropical, Tropical
Moisture: Humid, Saturated, Very humid
Elevation: Lowland, Montane, Subalpine, Submont
Seasonality: Aseasonal
Mean temperature: 11–25 °C
Day temperature: 14–29 °C
Night temperature: 7–22 °C
Annual temperature swing: 3–8 °C

Moist forest

Moderately humid forest

Latitude: Subtropical, Tropical
Moisture: Humid, Moderate
Elevation: Lowland, Montane, Subalpine, Submont
Seasonality: Aseasonal, Monsoonal / wet-dry
Mean temperature: 11–25 °C
Day temperature: 15–30 °C
Night temperature: 6–21 °C
Annual temperature swing: 3–8 °C

Temperate rainforest

Cool/wet coastal orographic forests

Latitude: Cool temperate, Warm temperate
Moisture: Saturated, Very humid
Elevation: Lowland, Submont
Seasonality: Four seasons
Mean temperature: 10–16 °C
Day temperature: 13–19 °C
Night temperature: 7–14 °C
Annual temperature swing: 14–17 °C

Temperate forest

Four-season forest zones

Latitude: Cool temperate, Warm temperate
Moisture: Humid, Moderate
Elevation: Lowland, Submont
Seasonality: Four seasons
Mean temperature: 10–16 °C
Day temperature: 14–21 °C
Night temperature: 6–13 °C
Annual temperature swing: 14–17 °C

Dry forest

Seasonal dryness; drought periods common

Latitude: Subtropical
Moisture: Moderate
Elevation: Lowland, Montane, Submont
Seasonality: Monsoonal / wet-dry
Mean temperature: 13–21 °C
Day temperature: 18–26 °C
Night temperature: 9–17 °C
Annual temperature swing: 8 °C

Boreal forest (Taiga)

Conifer-dominated; short summers

Latitude: Boreal
Moisture: Humid, Moderate, Saturated, Very humid
Elevation: Lowland
Seasonality: Long winter
Mean temperature: 4 °C
Day temperature: 7–9 °C
Night temperature: 0–2 °C
Annual temperature swing: 20 °C

Seasonal context

Very small annual temperature swing; fairly consistent through the year
Pronounced annual temperature swing (temperate climates)
Short summer + long cold season (boreal climates)
Likely wet/dry season pattern (common in tropical/subtropical regions)

Back to Vosse Rare Plants's catalogue search →

Plant Providers

Find this plant from a provider

Show shipping information for

Vosse Rare Plants

Provider country: [ "AT", "BE", "BG", "HR", "CZ", "DK", "EE", "FI", "FR", "DE", "GR", "HU", "IE", "IT", "LV", "LT", "LU", "NL", "PL", "PT", "RO", "RS", "SK", "SI", "ES", "SE", "UA", "CH", "LI", "GB", "NO", "IS" ]

€4.54

Out of stock

Shipping or availability is unconfirmed

Availability last checked 14 Sept 2026

Visit seller

Seller links may be referral links. BJURNY may receive compensation at no extra cost to you.

Trust and review

Public plant knowledge

Profiles are published after BJURNY review. Logged-in contributors can suggest corrections.

Images and attribution

Respecting image rights

Image credits and licence details appear with each image when supplied. Personal and private collection media is never used here.

Stable BJURNY record: tx_31146c93e2de4cf4bc3b