Pylaisia polyantha Many-flowered Leskea

An autoicous, pleurocarpous moss which grows as rather untidy patches on the branches and trunks of trees and shrubs in hedgerows and often along roadsides. It is an uncommon species in Britain whose populations declined significantly as a result of hedgerow removal, air pollution and Dutch Elm Disease. However, it appears to be making a recovery and is beginning to increase its somewhat discontinuous range in Britain and appears to be expanding westwards in Wales. However, currently, it is still rare in West Glamorgan where it was first recorded by Sam Bosanquet in 2011 who noted several patches on willows in the stream valley close to the entrance to Barland Quarry. More recently, in 2024, Des Callaghan discovered a population on eight trunks of Rusty Willow (Salix cinerea ssp. oleifolia) in roadside scrub at Port Talbot Docks. Sporophyte capsules are common in autumn and winter.