E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Species description:
Species name referring to the leaf orientation in which the points bend abruptly outward, giving the leafy branches a prickly appearance.

Reproduction:
Sporophytes occasional, maturing in spring to summer.

Comments:
Although called a peat moss, S. squarrosum is not an important peat-former.

Distinguishing characteristics:
The coarse plants with bristly squarrose leaves on the divergent branches are characteristic; the species is one of forest and cliff habitats, not in bogs.

Habit:
Loose, pale, dull green turfs of sprawling or suberect to erect inter tangled shoots, sometimes partially submerged.

Similar Species:
S. squarrosum might be confused with S. palustre but the strongly squarrose leaves and the non-bog habitat of the former should separate them. Microscopically S. squarrosum lacks stem cells that have fibril thickenings.