Quill Moss

Botanical name: Cyathophorum bulbosum
Synonyms: None
Common name(s): Quill Moss, False Fern Moss

About:
Cyathophorum bulbosum is one of New Zealand’s most distinctive mosses, often mistaken for a miniature fern due to its flattened, feather-like appearance. It forms elegant creeping mats with upright, unbranched shoots and is commonly found in damp native forests where it grows on logs, rocks, tree fern trunks and shaded forest floors.

Natural habitat:
Moist temperate rainforest, wet native forest, stream margins, shaded gullies and damp forest floors.

Growing environment:
Requires cool, shaded, humid conditions with consistently moist substrates. Best grown on rotting logs, rocks, tree fern trunks or humus-rich soil where humidity remains high.

Endemic distribution:
Indigenous to New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, the Chatham Islands, Auckland Islands and Lord Howe Island.

Height:
5–20 cm

Width:
Forms spreading colonies over suitable surfaces.

Flowering:
None – mosses do not produce flowers.

Fruiting:
Produces spore capsules throughout the year when conditions are favourable.

Uses:
• Moss gardens
• Native fern houses
• Terrariums
• Moist woodland plantings
• Living moss displays
• Habitat restoration

Appearance:
Growth habit:
A creeping moss with flattened, erect, largely unbranched shoots that overlap to form lush carpets.

Leaves:
Leaves are arranged in three distinct rows. Two rows of larger flattened leaves form the upper surface, while a third row of smaller leaves occurs beneath the stem and is usually hidden from view. The overall appearance closely resembles a delicate fern frond.

Flowers:
None. Mosses reproduce by spores rather than flowers.

Fruit:
Small rounded to egg-shaped spore capsules develop on the underside of the stems on very short stalks. The capsules are partly concealed beneath the foliage.

Ecology:
This moss helps retain moisture within forest ecosystems and provides habitat for numerous tiny invertebrates and microorganisms. It thrives in permanently humid environments and is an important component of native forest floor communities.

Associated habitats:
Temperate rainforest, wet podocarp forest, beech forest, stream banks, tree fern trunks, rotting logs, moss-covered rocks and shaded gullies.

How to grow:
Grow in deep shade with constant humidity. Mount on damp logs, rocks or tree fern slabs, or plant on humus-rich soil that never completely dries out. Protect from direct sun and drying winds.

Propagation:
Easily propagated by dividing established mats or placing small fragments onto consistently damp suitable surfaces where they will gradually establish new colonies.

Cultural use:
Although there are no widely recorded traditional Māori uses, this moss is an important component of New Zealand’s native forest ecosystems and contributes to the lush character of temperate rainforests.

Garden value:
An exceptional moss for creating naturalistic woodland gardens, fern houses and terrariums. Its fern-like appearance, rich green colour and elegant layered growth make it one of New Zealand’s most ornamental native mosses for cool, shaded environments.