Fissidens celticus Welsh Pocket-moss

A very small, Oceanic, dioicous Pocket-moss, rarely more than 5mm tall, which usually occurs as scattered colonies on shaded soil banks beside streams and ditches, particularly where there has been erosion by flood water. Plants tend to be upright, quite leafy and have the appearance of a miniature palm tree. A useful field character given in many identification guides is the distinct bend in the nerve about midway in the leaf, but this is not always clear and other small pocket mosses may have bends in their nerves. It has a distinct, western distribution in Britain and is locally frequent throughout much of Wales, particularly in the west. It is scattered in the South Wales Coalfield of West Glamorgan and is rare in Gower. Only female plants are known in Britain and, consequently, sporophyte capsules are not produced.