Gymnostomum viridulum Luisier's Tufa-moss

A very small, dioicous, acrocarpous moss which forms low, bright-green turfs and patches on and among limestone rock on sea cliffs as well as in quarries and on old walls with crumbling mortar. Unlike the other Gymnostomium species described here, the leaves are short and relatively broad with rounded tips. It is a Mediterranean-Atlantic species and has a distinct southwestern coastal distribution in Britain. It is locally frequent along the coat of south Wales and it is confined to the south Gower cliffs in West Glamorgan. Most plants are females and sporophyte capsules are rare but microscopic gemmae are formed among the leaves.