Status in Britain: Local

A moss which grows on tree boles and trunks in woods, but also in more open situations such as parklands and hedgerows. It is common in Mediterranean countries, and in Southern England, but in Wales is at the edge of its European range. It is recorded post-1950 in only three 10km squares in Wales.

The photograph shows the plant in a dry condition, with individual shoots characteristically curved upwards, and with the leaves tightly clasped to the stems. When wet the plant has a quite different appearance, with the leaves and branches spreading. Individual leaves are ovate, with a rounded tip and one margin recurved. The nerve is faint, one-quarter to one-half the leaf length.