Sphagnum fimbriatum Fringed Bog-moss

A common, autoicous bog-moss with wide ecological tolerance that grows in various boggy habitats including woodland, heathland, marshy grassland, flushed banks and ditches. It is a rapid coloniser of disturbed areas on wet peaty substrates and it is also able to tolerate nutrient enrichment. It usually forms loose carpets made up of plants with slender elongated stems and small capitula which have a prominent central 'bud'. One of its best distinguishing features is the stem leaves which are fan-shaped, broader than long with a jagged or fringed apex. It is a common species in Wales and it is one of the most common bog-mosses in West Glamorgan. Sporophyte capsules are common and abundant in summer.