Identification notes
Like other species it can grow on Sphagnum, wet peat or layers of humus rich soil, but tends to grow where there is some degree of base enrichment. It is rather uncommon but could be overlooked, and has rather few positive features. It may be best thought about as what it is not. It is perhaps most similar to Cephalozia connivens, which grows in similar habitats, but although the leaf cells are large (up to 56μm wide) they are not as large as those in C.connivens and the leaf lobes tend to me more parallel and not so pincer-like. Microscopy is necessary to confirm the identification as C.pleniceps and the critical feature is that the apical lobe cell has no terminal thickening.
It lacks the brownish colour and medullary cell pigmentation of C.macrostachya. It could also be confused with Cephalozia lunulifolia which has smaller leaf cells, and stems generally less than 150μm wide, and cortical cells less than 40μm wide. In C.pleniceps the stems and cortical cells are larger. But the thickening of the apical cell wall that is absent in C.pleniceps is present in C.lunulifolia.
Perianths may be encountered. These are usually bistratose to at least halfway up, unlike other species.
