Fissidens adianthoides, the maidenhair pocketmoss,[3] is a North American moss in the family Fissidentaceae.

[4] The Nitinaht First Nations of Vancouver Island have used maidenhair moss to bandage wounds.

Dioicous is defined as a plant having the male (antheridia) and female (archegonia) reproductive organs in separate individuals.

The central strand contains thin-walled cells called hydroids that conduct water and sterids which provide structural support.

[4] The shape is oblong to lanceolate (narrow oval) and tapered to an acute point.

[4] The leaf margin is crenulate (finely scalloped) to regular serrulate (sawlike).

Paraphyses are upright sterile filament-like structures that support the reproductive apparatus of bryophytes.

[4] A sporophyte is the diploid multicellular stage in the life cycle of a moss which produces spores.

[4] The seta, which is a stalk that supports capsule, is relatively short and is 25 mm in length.

[4] Since it is a member of the Bryopsida class it also has arthrodontous peristome teeth which aid in spore dispersal.

They both have short perichaetial stems in the top of the proximal leaves and a lighter marginal laminal cell band.

[2] The difference between the two is that F. adianthoides is a lot tinier and have more obscure laminal cells that are usually double stratose and irregular.

However, it has longer leaves and grows on damp soil or gravel nearby very shady streams.

[9] A molecular phylogenetic study states that the families Fissidentaceae and Dicranaceae are closely related.

[10] Fissidentaceae is an acrocarpous family that is made up of haplolepideous mosses and consists of one genus called Fissidens.

[8] National and state/provincial distribution of Fissidens adianthoides is as follows: Canada: AB, BC, LB, NB, NF, NS, NT, NU, ON, QC, SK, YT[1] United States:  AK, AL, AR, CA, CT, DE, FL, GA, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, MT, NC, NJ, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA, WI, WV, WY[1] It is found in shady sites such as nearby moving water, near waterfalls, soil, open fields of grass, around the forest floor, decaying wood, on dripping limestone and stone rocks.

The first is fragmentation where the bryophyte is broken into completely separate pieces and grows to become a new individual from the parent plant.

[16] The genus Fissidens was used in several Asian countries like Bolivia as an antibacterial remedy for sore throats or other bacterial infections.