Polytrichum hyperboreum is distinguishable by certain unique features of there gametophytic structure that sets them apart from other genus members.

[2] Polytrichum hyperboreum has been found to inhibit arctic regions in North America including Greenland, Yukon, Alaska, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Quebec, as well as in European and Asian countries such as Norway, Scandinavia and Russia.

Key features that set the Polytrichum genus apart from others, such as light brown nematodontous peristome teeth and a hairy calyptra(hence the common name for the genus "hair-cap mosses"), are found many Polytrichum species, including P. hyperboreum[2][5] This species is also characterized by its relatively short, reddish setae, which is similar to the setae found on the species Polytrichum commune.

[2] The species ranges in color from green at youth, to a chestnut brown colour after maturing.

The most distinct features to this species that sets it apart from other Polytrichum members include the plant's branching pattern, their unique awn, the cells of the lamellae and the overlapping marginal laminae.