Alpine Haircap vs Northern Haircap

Polytrichastrum alpinum compared with Polytrichastrum sexangulare

Key Differences

• Alpine Haircap is Least Concern while Northern Haircap is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Alpine Haircap	Northern Haircap
Kingdom same	Plantae (plante)	Plantae (plante)
Phylum same	Bryophyta	Bryophyta
Class same	Polytrichopsida (Polytrichopsida)	Polytrichopsida (Polytrichopsida)
Order same	Polytrichales (Polytrichales)	Polytrichales (Polytrichales)
Family same	Polytrichaceae	Polytrichaceae
Genus same	Polytrichastrum	Polytrichastrum
Species	Polytrichastrum alpinum	Polytrichastrum sexangulare

Evolutionary Relationship

Alpine Haircap and Northern Haircap share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Polytrichastrum.

Conservation Status

Alpine Haircap

LC — Least Concern

Northern Haircap

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Alpine Haircap	Northern Haircap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Alpine Haircap

Habitat

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

Range

Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and United States.

Northern Haircap

Habitat

Native to Europe, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Alpine Haircap

The Alpine Haircap (Polytrichastrum alpinum) is a species in the genus Polytrichastrum. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Native to Asia and Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region. Distributed across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, and United States.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden