Taxiphyllum alternans 'Taiwan Moss'

A cultivated form of Taxiphyllum alternans, selected in the aquarium hobby for its distinctive spiralling upward growth — individual stems twist and curl as they grow, so a clump of Taiwan Moss resembles a small cluster of green fire. The parent species grows on rocks, roots, and decaying wood near streams and waterfalls across East Asia and the south-eastern USA. It does best in high humidity above 80% with low indirect light and a constantly wet or submerged surface, making it ideal for the aquatic sections of paludariums and the wettest zones of closed terrariums. Unlike most mosses, it grows upright rather than flat, adding vertical texture where mat-forming mosses would spread sideways.