Species finder

HomeLearningSpecies finder

Welcome to the Species Finder

The new Species Finder is your gateway to a wealth of information about the mosses, liverworts and hornworts to be found in the UK. Ultimately, we hope to include a page dedicated to each species, with identification tips, up-to-date distribution information, links to useful resources and an image gallery showing a range of images including habitat photos, close-ups and microscope images.

These pages will gradually be built up over time, and we need your help to ensure the information they contain is useful, accurate and interesting. So please, if you have any identification tips, images that show typical features of a species (or just show how beautiful they are!), or comments and feedback on existing pages, let us know by emailing webmaster@britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk.

If you would like to volunteer to contribute some missing species in their entirety, please also contact us at the above email address. The more species we cover, the more useful this resource will become.

Thank you!

Filter our alphabetical list to locate a species

Click on one of the category boxes below to select Hornworts, Liverworts or Mosses. Then expand the relevant letter to find the species you’re looking for.

Click on the * category to view Species pages that are considered ‘complete’ i.e. they have additional notes if relevant and sufficient images to be useful. Note that other pages may have some images, but we know they need more work.

These pages use Latin names as that is what most bryologists use all the time. Common names for bryophytes do exist, but are often confusingly similar and frequently not very intuitive. Taxonomists are constantly discovering new facts about species which mean that they get moved into a different genus, or split into 2 species, or other changes. See below for more on this subject.

Note for beginners and users of the BBS Field Guide

The UK checklist of bryophyte names has recently undergone significant change (as of January 2021). For the time being we will retain both the old and new names in the species list, although both will link to the same species page which will use the new names. Therefore, if you select a species name from the Field Guide such as Orthotrichum lyellii, and end up on a page called Pulvigera lyellii, this isn’t a mistake! To make this more obvious, old names will be ‘greyed out’ in the species list.

A

Abietinella abietina >

Acaulon mediterraneum >

Acaulon muticum >

Aloina aloides >

Aloina ambigua >

Amblystegium serpens >

Amphidium mougeotii >

Anastrophyllum hellerianum >

Anoectangium aestivum >

Anomodon viticulosus >

Anthoceros punctatus >

Antitrichia curtipendula >

Archidium alternifolium >

Atrichum crispum >

Atrichum tenellum >

Atrichum undulatum >

Aulacomnium androgynum >

Aulacomnium palustre >

B

Barbilophozia floerkei >

Barbula unguiculata >

Bartramia pomiformis >

Bazzania trilobata >

Blasia pusilla >

Blindia acuta >

Brachydontium trichodes >

Brachytheciastrum velutinum >

Brachythecium glareosum >

Brachythecium mildeanum >

Brachythecium rivulare >

Brachythecium rutabulum >

Brachythecium salebrosum >

Braunia imberbis >

Breutelia chrysocoma >

Bryoerythrophyllum campylocarpum >

Bryoerythrophyllum ferruginascens >

Bryoerythrophyllum recurvirostrum >

Bryum alpinum >

Bryum argenteum >

Bryum bornholmense >

Bryum capillare >

Bryum creberrimum >

Bryum dichotomum >

Bryum donianum >

Bryum elegans >

Bryum gemmiferum >

Bryum gemmilucens >

Bryum gemmiparum >

Bryum klinggraeffii >

Bryum mildeanum >

Bryum moravicum >

Bryum pallescens >

Bryum pseudotriquetrum >

Bryum radiculosum >

Bryum riparium >

Bryum rubens >

Bryum ruderale >

Bryum torquescens >

Bryum violaceum >

C

Calliergon cordifolium >

Calliergon giganteum >

Calliergonella cuspidata >

Calliergonella lindbergii >

Calypogeia arguta >

Calyptrochaeta apiculata >

Campylophyllopsis calcarea >

Campylopus brevipilus >

Campylopus flexuosus >

Campylopus fragilis >

Campylopus introflexus >

Campylopus subulatus >

Campylostelium saxicola >

Cephalozia bicuspidata >

Cephalozia curvifolia >

Cephaloziella baumgartneri >

Cephaloziella stellulifera >

Cephaloziella turneri >

Ceratodon purpureus >

Cheilothela chloropus >

Chenia leptophylla >

Chiloscyphus polyanthos >

Chionoloma hibernicum >

Cinclidotus fontinaloides >

Cirriphyllum crassinervium >

Cirriphyllum piliferum >

Climacium dendroides >

Codonoblepharon forsteri >

Cololejeunea minutissima >

Colura calyptrifolia >

Conardia compacta >

Conocephalum conicum >

Cratoneuron filicinum >

Cryphaea heteromalla >

Ctenidium molluscum >

Cynodontium bruntonii >

D

Daltonia splachnoides >

Dendrocryphaea lamyana >

Dialytrichia mucronata >

Dialytrichia saxicola >

Dichodontium pellucidum >

Dicranella heteromalla >

Dicranella howei >

Dicranella rufescens >

Dicranella schreberiana >

Dicranella subulata >

Dicranella varia >

Dicranoweisia cirrata >

Dicranum fuscescens >

Dicranum majus >

Dicranum scoparium >

Dicranum scottianum >

Didymodon fallax >

Didymodon ferrugineus >

Didymodon icmadophilus >

Didymodon insulanus >

Didymodon luridus >

Didymodon nicholsonii >

Didymodon rigidulus >

Didymodon sinuosus >

Didymodon tomaculosus >

Didymodon tophaceus >

Didymodon vinealis >

Diphyscium foliosum >

Diplophyllum albicans >

Discelium nudum >

Distichium capillaceum >

Distichium inclinatum >

Ditrichum plumbicola >

Ditrichum subulatum >

Drepanocladus aduncus >

Drepanocladus polygamus >

E

Encalypta ciliata >

Encalypta streptocarpa >

Encalypta vulgaris >

Entodon concinnus >

Entosthodon mouretii >

Entosthodon muhlenbergii >

Entosthodon obtusus >

Entosthodon pulchellus >

Ephemerum recurvifolium >

Epipterygium tozeri >

Eucladium verticillatum >

Eurhynchium striatum >

F

Fissidens adianthoides >

Fissidens bryoides >

Fissidens celticus >

Fissidens crassipes >

Fissidens dubius >

Fissidens exilis >

Fissidens fontanus >

Fissidens incurvus >

Fissidens polyphyllus >

Fissidens rivularis >

Fissidens serrulatus >

Fissidens taxifolius >

Fossombronia foveolata >

Fossombronia incurva >

Fossombronia pusilla >

Fossombronia wondraczekii >

Frullania dilatata >

Frullania fragilifolia >

Frullania tamarisci >

Funaria hygrometrica >

G

Glyphomitrium daviesii >

Grimmia anomala >

Grimmia atrata >

Grimmia decipiens >

Grimmia dissimulata >

Grimmia donniana >

Grimmia hartmanii >

Grimmia incurva >

Grimmia laevigata >

Grimmia lisae >

Grimmia montana >

Grimmia muehlenbeckii >

Grimmia orbicularis >

Grimmia ovalis >

Grimmia pulvinata >

Grimmia ramondii >

Grimmia trichophylla >

Gymnocolea inflata >

Gymnostomum aeruginosum >

Gymnostomum viridulum >

Gyroweisia tenuis >

H

Habrodon perpusillus >

Hamatocaulis vernicosus >

Hedwigia ciliata >

Hedwigia stellata >

Hedwigia striata >

Hennediella macrophylla >

Hennediella stanfordensis >

Herzogiella seligeri >

Heterocladium flaccidum >

Heterocladium wulfsbergii >

Homalia trichomanoides >

Homalothecium lutescens >

Homalothecium sericeum >

Hookeria lucens >

Hygroamblystegium fluviatile >

Hygroamblystegium humile >

Hygroamblystegium tenax >

Hygrohypnella ochracea >

Hygrohypnum luridum >

Hylocomiadelphus triquetrus >

Hylocomiastrum umbratum >

Hylocomium splendens >

Hymenostylium recurvirostrum >

Hypnum cupressiforme >

I

Isothecium alopecuroides >

Isothecium holtii >

Isothecium myosuroides >

J

Jubula hutchinsiae >

Jungermannia atrovirens >

Jungermannia eucordifolia >

K

Kiaeria blyttii >

Kindbergia praelonga >

L

Lejeunea cavifolia >

Lejeunea lamacerina >

Lepidozia reptans >

Leptobarbula berica >

Leptobryum pyriforme >

Leptodictyum riparium >

Leptodontium flexifolium >

Leskea polycarpa >

Leucobryum albidum >

Leucobryum glaucum >

Leucodon sciuroides >

Lewinskya affinis >

Lewinskya rupestris >

Lewinskya striata >

Loeskeobryum brevirostre >

Lophocolea bidentata >

Lophocolea bispinosa >

Lophocolea fragrans >

Lophocolea heterophylla >

Lophocolea semiteres >

Lunularia cruciata >

M

Marchantia quadrata >

Marchesinia mackaii >

Mesoptychia turbinata >

Metzgeria conjugata >

Metzgeria furcata >

Metzgeria violacea >

Microbryum davallianum >

Microbryum floerkeanum >

Microbryum rectum >

Microbryum starckeanum >

Microeurhynchium pumilum >

Microlejeunea ulicina >

Mnium hornum >

Mnium marginatum >

Mnium stellare >

Mnium thomsonii >

Mylia anomala >

Myriocoleopsis minutissima >

Myurium hochstetteri >

N

Nardia compressa >

Nardia scalaris >

Neckera complanata >

Neckera crispa >

Neckera smithii >

Nogopterium gracile >

O

Oleolophozia perssonii >

Oligotrichum hercynicum >

Orthocaulis floerkei >

Orthodontium lineare >

Orthothecium intricatum >

Orthotrichum affine >

Orthotrichum anomalum >

Orthotrichum cupulatum >

Orthotrichum diaphanum >

Orthotrichum pallens >

Orthotrichum pulchellum >

Orthotrichum rivulare >

Orthotrichum sprucei >

Orthotrichum stramineum >

Orthotrichum tenellum >

Oxyrrhynchium hians >

Oxyrrhynchium schleicheri >

Oxyrrhynchium speciosum >

P

Palustriella commutata >

Palustriella falcata >

Pellia endiviifolia >

Pellia epiphylla >

Pellia neesiana >

Petalophyllum ralfsii >

Phaeoceros laevis >

Philonotis fontana >

Physcomitrium patens >

Physcomitrium readeri >

Physcomitrium sphaericum >

Plagiochila bifaria >

Plagiochila porelloides >

Plagiochila punctata >

Plagiochila spinulosa >

Plagiomnium affine >

Plagiomnium cuspidatum >

Plagiomnium elatum >

Plagiomnium rostratum >

Plagiothecium undulatum >

Plasteurhynchium striatulum >

Platygyrium repens >

Plenogemma phyllantha >

Pleuridium acuminatum >

Pleuridium subulatum >

Pleurozia purpurea >

Pleurozium schreberi >

Pogonatum aloides >

Pogonatum urnigerum >

Pohlia andalusica >

Pohlia annotina >

Pohlia camptotrachela >

Pohlia flexuosa >

Pohlia lutescens >

Pohlia melanodon >

Pohlia nutans >

Pohlia wahlenbergii >

Polytrichastrum alpinum >

Polytrichum juniperinum >

Polytrichum piliferum >

Porella arboris-vitae >

Porella obtusata >

Porella pinnata >

Porella platyphylla >

Pottiopsis caespitosa >

Pseudocrossidium hornschuchianum >

Pseudohygrohypnum eugyrium >

Pseudoscleropodium purum >

Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans >

Pterogonium gracile >

Ptychomitrium polyphyllum >

Pulvigera lyellii >

Pylaisia polyantha >

R

Racomitrium aciculare >

Racomitrium affine >

Racomitrium aquaticum >

Racomitrium canescens >

Racomitrium ellipticum >

Racomitrium elongatum >

Racomitrium ericoides >

Racomitrium fasciculare >

Racomitrium heterostichum s.str. >

Racomitrium himalayanum >

Racomitrium lanuginosum >

Racomitrium obtusum >

Racomitrium sudeticum >

Radula complanata >

Rhynchostegiella tenella >

Rhynchostegium confertum >

Rhynchostegium megapolitanum >

Rhynchostegium murale >

Rhynchostegium riparioides >

Rhytidiadelphus loreus >

Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus >

Rhytidiadelphus subpinnatus >

Riccardia chamedryfolia >

Riccia crystallina >

Riccia glauca >

Riccia sorocarpa >

Ricciocarpos natans >

S

Saccogyna viticulosa >

Sanionia orthothecioides >

Sanionia uncinata >

Sarmentypnum exannulatum >

Scapania compacta >

Scapania gracilis >

Scapania umbrosa >

Schistidium agassizii >

Schistidium apocarpum >

Schistidium crassipilum >

Schistidium maritimum >

Schistidium pruinosum >

Schistidium rivulare >

Schistidium strictum >

Sciuro-hypnum plumosum >

Sciuro-hypnum populeum >

Scleropodium cespitans >

Scleropodium touretii >

Scorpidium cossonii >

Scorpiurium circinatum >

Seligeria acutifolia >

Seligeria calcarea >

Seligeria calycina >

Seligeria pusilla >

Sematophyllum substrumulosum >

Serpoleskea confervoides >

Solenostoma gracillimum >

Southbya nigrella >

Southbya tophacea >

Sphagnum angustifolium >

Sphagnum auriculatum >

Sphagnum capillifolium >

Sphagnum compactum >

Sphagnum contortum >

Sphagnum cuspidatum >

Sphagnum denticulatum >

Sphagnum fallax >

Sphagnum fimbriatum >

Sphagnum flexuosum >

Sphagnum girgensohnii >

Sphagnum lindbergii >

Sphagnum medium >

Sphagnum palustre >

Sphagnum quinquefarium >

Sphagnum skyense >

Sphagnum squarrosum >

Sphagnum subnitens >

Sphagnum tenellum >

Sphagnum teres >

Syntrichia laevipila >

Syntrichia montana >

Syntrichia papillosa >

Syntrichia ruraliformis >

Syntrichia ruralis >

Syntrichia virescens >

T

Targionia hypophylla >

Taxiphyllum wissgrillii >

Thamnobryum alopecurum >

Thuidium assimile >

Thuidium delicatulum >

Thuidium tamariscinum >

Tortella fasciculata >

Tortella flavovirens >

Tortella inclinata >

Tortella inflexa >

Tortella nitida >

Tortella squarrosa >

Tortella tortuosa >

Tortula caucasica >

Tortula lindbergii >

Tortula marginata >

Tortula muralis >

Tortula pallida >

Tortula protobryoides >

Tortula truncata >

Trichocolea tomentella >

Trichostomum crispulum >

U

Ulota bruchii >

Ulota crispa >

Ulota crispula >

Ulota intermedia >

Ulota phyllantha >

W

Weissia angustifolia >

Weissia controversa >

Weissia levieri >

Weissia perssonii >

Weissia sterilis >

Weissia wilsonii >

Z

Zygodon conoideus >

Zygodon gracilis >

Zygodon rupestris >

Zygodon stirtonii >

Zygodon viridissimus >