Sphagnum fallax Flat-topped Bog-moss

A common, dioicous bog-moss of wet, nutrient-poor habitats incuding fens, mires, ditches and woodland banks. It is one of three species belonging to the Sphagnum recurvum complex. Some colonies have a striking mustard-brown colour and the capitula have a stellate structure. Male plants sometimes have a dark tip to the capitula (see photo) which makes them quite conspicuous. It has a distinct western and northern distribution in Britain and it is found throughout much of Wales. In West Glamorgan it is a common moss on the Gower Commons and in the uplands of the South Wales Coalfield, including ditches and banks along forest roads. Sporophyte capsules are occasional.