Plagiomnium rostratum Long-beaked Thyme-moss

A synoicous, acrocarpous moss which grows in wet places at the sides of streams and rivers on soil and on rock. Stems with broadly oval leaves creep along the ground and look rather similar in habit to those of Plagiomnium affine. However it is much more a riparian species and the leaves do not run down the stem. Also leaf cells do not occur in diagonal rows and they are only a little longer than wide. It is a common species in Britain, particularly in base-rich, lowland sites and it is found throughout except for the highlands of Scotland. In West Glamorgan it is predominantly a species of wet, calcareous habitats in south Gower and the base-rich, alluvial soils of the main river valleys in Neath Port Talbot. Sporophyte capsules are frequent in spring.