Types of Mosses That Grow on Cemetery Stones
- Moss enjoys dark, damp areas.Ryan McVay/Lifesize/Getty Images
There are many types of moss. The kind most commonly found on cemetery stones belongs to one of the four major moss categories: hair cap, cushion, hypnum or rock cap moss. All types of moss require moisture, shade, humidity and acidic soil with a pH between 5.0 and 5.15. Mosses receive their nutrients directly because they have no special channels to transfer nutrients up through their small root system. Moss reproduces through spore-like structures, instead of seeds. - Hair cap mossJupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
Hair cap moss comes in shades from pale to dark-green and gets its name from the slightly fuzzy look it has. Hair cap grows to 12-inches tall, making it stand out from the low lying, close-cropped moss that most people recognize. - Low-lying hypnum moss is sometimes called log moss, or fern moss. Generally bright green in color, hypnum is popular in rock gardens where it's tiny leafy arms resemble a fern leaf.
- Rock cap moss spreads out like a velvet blanket.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Large patches of rock cap moss, covering headstones and large rocks, resemble a dark-green velvet blanket. Soft and fuzzy, rock cap moss is popular for use as a ground cover in shady, moist areas. - Cushion moss is often light in color.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Cushion moss can be white, blue-green or grayish. Often clumped, hence the moniker, cushion moss can also spread out, leaving a thick, dense carpet of moss that is 1 to 3 inches tall. - Lichen growth on a tree.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
Although not technically a moss, lichen is a fungus and algae mix that can survive in hot or cold areas. Slow-growing lichen attaches itself to trees, rocks, and headstones, where it is often mistaken for moss.
