Status in Britain: Common

This is a fairly robust member of the Bryum genus, with stems commonly 4-10cm in length. The stems are covered with a brown tomentum (rhizoids woven in a dense mat). It occurs in a variety of wet habitats, including marshes,, fens, flushes, by streams and pools, and on dripping rocks, as well as dune-slacks. It avoids extremely acid habitats, demands at least a little mineral content to the substrate, and is tolerant of lime.