Straminergon stramineum Straw Spear-moss

A dioicous, pleurocarpous moss which grows as string-like, upright shoots in lax, pale-green patches in wet, acid places such as acidic marshes, bogs, rush pasture and wet heath. The broadly egg-shaped leaves have a distinctive, rounded tip and a long nerve (see photos). Patches of large cells can be seen in the basal corners of the leaves under the microscope (see photo) or with a good hand lens. It is a Boreo Arctic-montane species which has a strong western and northern distribution in Britain and found throughout Wales in suitable places. It has a scattered, local distribution in West Glamorgan where it is found in wet places on the Gower Commons and in boggy habitats in the uplands of the South Wales Coalfield, e.g. Gors Llwyn. Sporophyte capsules are rare.