Alpine Water-moss vs greater water moss

Fontinalis squamosa compared with Fontinalis antipyretica

Key Differences

• Alpine Water-moss is Least Concern while greater water moss is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Water-moss	greater water moss
Kingdom same	Plantae (Plants)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum same	Bryophyta	Bryophyta
Class same	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)	Bryopsida (Bryopsida)
Order same	Hypnales (Hypnales)	Hypnales (Hypnales)
Family same	Fontinalaceae	Fontinalaceae
Genus same	Fontinalis	Fontinalis
Species	Fontinalis squamosa	Fontinalis antipyretica

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpine Water-moss and greater water moss share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Fontinalis.

Conservation Status

Alpine Water-moss

LC — Least Concern

greater water moss

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Water-moss	greater water moss
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Water-moss

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

greater water moss

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (6 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Alpine Water-moss

The Alpine Water-moss (Fontinalis squamosa) is a species in the genus Fontinalis. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region. Distributed across Luxembourg, Norway, and Sweden.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 3 countries:

🇱🇺 Luxembourg 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden