Woolly Fringe-moss
Racomitrium lanuginosum
Conservation status data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racomitrium_lanuginosum
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Plantae
Phylum
Bryophyta
Class
Bryopsida
Order
Grimmiales
Family
Grimmiaceae
Genus
Racomitrium
Woolly Fringe-moss belongs to the family Grimmiaceae, order Grimmiales, within the Bryopsida class.
Species Profile
Species profile data sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
Woolly Fringe-moss faces severe threats from climate change, particularly warming temperatures and altered precipitation patterns that disrupt the cool, moist conditions essential for its survival. Air pollution, including nitrogen deposition and acid rain, significantly degrades the oligotrophic environments this species requires, while habitat fragmentation from human development isolates populations and reduces genetic diversity.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
Rocky outcrops, exposed mountain slopes, and acidic substrates in cool, humid environments, particularly in boreal and subarctic regions. The species typically colonizes nutrient-poor, well-drained surfaces including lava fields, scree slopes, and weathered rock faces at various elevations.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Woolly Fringe-moss faces severe threats from climate change, particularly warming temperatures and altered precipitation patterns that disrupt the cool, moist conditions essential for its survival. Air pollution, including nitrogen deposition and acid rain, significantly degrades the oligotrophic environments this species requires, while habitat fragmentation from human development isolates populations and reduces genetic diversity.
Acid rain and atmospheric acidification
Air pollution and nitrogen deposition
Altered precipitation patterns
Climate change and warming temperatures
Habitat fragmentation from development
National vs Global Threat Status
How this species is assessed at the national level compared to its IUCN global status (CR).
| Country | National Status | Global Status | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU | LCLeast Concern | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
| EU | LCLeast Concern | CRCritically Endangered | Lower local risk |
National Red List data sourced from the National Red List Project (nationalredlist.org, ZSL) and country-specific Red List authorities.
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
National Red Lists: ZSL (2025). National Red List. Zoological Society of London. Available at: https://www.nationalredlist.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Woolly Fringe-moss (Racomitrium lanuginosum). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/woolly-fringe-moss