Plagiothecium denticulatum var. denticulatum Swamp Silk-moss

A dark glossy-green, autoicous pleurocarpous moss which grows on logs, stumps, tree bases and acidic banks in woodland. It is a species that probably benifitted from acidic atmospheric deposition in the past and has undergone a marked decline in some areas in recent decades as air quality has improved. Nevertheless it is still widespread in Britain, including most of Wales, and there are scattered records of it in West Galmorgan. Sporophyte capsules are commmon in spring and summer.

Note that Plagiothecium denticulatum is split into 2 distinct varieties, the widespread var. denticulatum, which is described here and var. obtusifolium, which is a rare species of rocky habitats such as crags and scree.