Taxiphyllum alternans 'Taiwan Moss'

Shoots branch fan-wise, triangular in outline — like Christmas Moss, but this one looks finer. It differs from Java Moss by branching more densely and regularly under good light; under a microscope, the Taiwan moss has marginal leaf teeth only near the tip, while the Java moss has them along the whole margin. It differs from the mosses 'Spiky' and 'Peacock' (Taxiphyllum sp.) by shoots that feel thinner and softer — theirs are sturdier and wider. It differs from Christmas Moss by narrower leaves that do not stand out from the stem at nearly a right angle, and by feeling noticeably softer; Christmas Moss has wider, partly rounded leaves that narrow sharply into a pointed tip.

Very easy: growth slow, light from dim to strong, CO₂ 10–40 mg/l, temperature 12–34 °C. Propagated by division.

Tied to hardscape, nano aquarium.

In the wild it grows in temperate zones and adjoining areas at the edge of the tropics — in the southeastern United States and East Asia, on soil, exposed roots, rotting wood in swamps, and on rocks by streams and waterfalls. In the aquarium hobby it is known as 'Taiwan Moss'.