#2369 - Polytrichum commune - Common Haircap Moss
AKA great golden maidenhair, and great goldilocks.
Common Haircap is common throughout temperate and boreal latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere, Mexico, Australia, and several Pacific Islands including New Zealand.
A species of large moss growing in damp acidic areas, including in open areas disturbed by human activitoes and livestock. The stems can be 70 cm, which it manages by have tissues specialised to transport water. That's the standard for the 'higher', vascular plants - practically the defining feature, in fact - but is extremely unusual for mosses.
The genus also have parallel lamellae on the upper surfaces of the leaves, with rows of photosynthetic tissue capped with large cells that trap moist air between them but still alow gas exchange. Most mosses have a simple plate of photosynthetic tissue. If conditions become too dry the leaves will twist around the stem.
Pohokura, North Island, New Zealand