Juniper haircap moss have a well-developed system of tiny tubes for carrying water from the rhizoids to leaves that is uncharacteristic of mosses, resembling the system that has evolved in vascular plants such as ferns, gymnosperms and angiosperms. Although their growth form can be varied, they generally grow in thin, interwoven mats, and hardly as closely associated individuals. The leaves of juniper haircap moss are lanceolate and upright spreading when dry, and when moist, wide-spreading.

The difference is that the bristly haircap has a clear (white) leaf tip.

This characteristic allows them to be separated from the bristly haircap ( Polytrichum piliferum), a plant that the juniper haircap moss closely resembles. The stems are reddish with grey-green leaves that have a distinctive red-brown tip. Polytrichum juniperinum, commonly known as juniper haircap or juniper polytrichum moss, is an evergreen and perennial species of moss that is widely distributed, growing on every continent including Antarctica.

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