Frizzled Pincushion - Plenogemma phyllantha

Description

It forms pale cushions 1 to 3.5 cm tall, olive-green above and reddish-brown or almost black below. The leaves are 2.5 to 4.5 mm long and are straight when moist, but curl up when dry. Each has a brownish nerve that protrudes from the tip, and this supports a conspicuous cluster of brown gemmae on most of the upper leaves of each shoot. Capsules are very rare in spring and summer.

Identification difficulty
Habitat

It usually grows on the branches and trunks of trees and bushes. Less often it occurs on rocks, especially on or near the coast.

When to see it

All year round.

UK Status

This moss was formerly mainly coastal, and remains abundant in many coastal districts – but is now much commoner inland than it was during much of the 19th and 20th centuries.

VC55 Status

Status in Leicestershire and Rutland not known.

Leicestershire & Rutland Map

MAP KEY:

Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2020+ | 2015-2019 | pre-2015

UK Map

Species profile

Common names
Frizzled Pincushion
Species group:
Mosses & Liverworts
Kingdom:
Plantae
Order:
Orthotrichales
Family:
Orthotrichaceae
Records on NatureSpot:
24
First record:
28/02/2015 (Nicholls, David)
Last record:
26/02/2024 (Hamzaoui, Uta)

Total records by month

% of records within its species group

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