PYXIE MOSS POP UP March 9th, 2026
A nature walk to find the rare blooming pyxie moss
We went on a “pop-up” nature walk to find the rare blooming Pyxie Moss. It’s not actually moss, but it is magical!
Where: Pyxie Moss Trail /Paint Hill Tract of the Weymouth Woods Sandhillls Nature Preserve led by Bruce Sorrie.
What: Sandhills pyxie-moss (Pyxidanthera brevifolia), which blooms in winter, grows beneath the longleaf pine forests.
History of the North Carolina Native Plant Society & Pyxie Moss
The Society was initially very active in: Conservation efforts and Native plant gardens across the state
• Working to conserve habitat for Pyxie moss in the Sandhills and support
for the Daniel Boone Botanical Garden in Boone. – A major reason to
become incorporated was the ability to acquire land to protect the
endangered Pyxie Moss
• By 1958 the efforts to acquire the land to protect Pyxie Moss had fallen through.
Pyxie Moss
• Rare, small flowering plants (not true mosses)
Found only in the Sandhills region, and within that area it has yet to be found in the southern
counties of Richmond or Scotland; found only in Moore, Harnett, Hoke, and Cumberland counties.
This is a very narrow endemic, found only in NC and adjacent SC, all in the Sandhills region.
• Very restricted in range, but it is fairly
common on Fort Bragg.
• Restricted to sandy soil on clay
hardpans within the Sandhills region,
typically on ridges and hilltops.
• Blooms from February into March • This is a tiny sub-shrub with narrow evergreen
leaves, resembling a moss. Grows flat on the
ground, in dense stands, can occur in mounds
• Colonies can extend for several feet across. The
tiny leaves are needle-like, barely 1/8-inch long,
densely covering the stems.
• The white flowers (about 1/4-inch across), though
quite small, are so abundant that the plants looks
like patches of snow when in bloom.
• You have to be extremely observant and likely you
will need to go down to your knees or your belly to get a convincing look.
