Racomitrium aquaticum Narrow-leaved Fringe-moss

A dioicous acrocarpous moss which grows on vertical, siliceous rock faces and boulders. It is similar to Racomitrium aciculare but it has narrow, somewhat pointed leaves which are not toothed and it often grows in pendant sheets or large mats. Despite its name it is not an aquatic species although it prefers rock where there is some seepage or irrigation. It is a Suboceanic species, less common than Racomitrium aciculare and with a similar but more scattered western and northern distribution in Britain. It is widespread in Wales and it is has a similar distribution to Racomitrium aciculare in West Glamorgan where it is distributed widely in the uplands of Neath Port Talbot but is largely absent from Gower. Sporophyte capsules are occasional in spring.