Identification notes
Dicranum scottianum is a hyperoceanic moss, so it is confined to high rainfall districts and situations where there is constant high humidity and an equable temperature range. So, except for a few sites in the Weald, it is mainly confined to the western seaboard of Britain and Ireland.
The species it is most likely to be confused with, especially in the absence of mature capsules, is D. fuscescens. Habitat can provide some clues though, as D. fuscescens is far more tolerant of cold and exposed situations than D. scottianum.
One of the characters used by some well-known keys to identify D. scottianum – an entire or weakly denticulate upper leaf margin – does not work well with some plants which have toothed leaf margins, inviting confusion with D. fuscescens. Under the excellent key to European Dicranum published by Lars Hedenäs and Irene Bisang in 2004 (see Resources pages), two species, D. scottianum and D. canariense have a symmetrical (or nearly so) and straight capsule and incrassate upper cells. Plants with these characters but clearly dentate or denticulate upper leaf margins key out as D. canariense, a species now considered synonymous with D. scottianum.
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