Identification notes
This very common moss is surprisingly variable-looking, especially in spring, when bright green new growth at the shoot tips contrasts with the dark green older leaves below.
Plants are dioicous and it is a bit of a rite of passage for new bryologists to think that male plants in breeding condition are a different species. Such plants have very beautiful, flower-like inflorescences at the tips of their shoots.
Of our six Mnium species, only M. hornum prefers acidic substrates, so any Mnium growing in a clearly base-rich habitat, such as a limestone crevice, should be checked for one of the other species.
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