Identification notes
Who doesn’t admire an Encalypta in fruit – the fire-extinguisher like capsules are at once striking and beautiful. Of our 6 extant species, 5 produce capsules regularly. E. streptocarpa is the exception and very rarely produces them.
Capsules develop over a long period, maturing in the spring. When they are not present, E. vulgaris forms neat little bright green rosettes of leaves that are rather Tortula-like. Like other Encalypta species, the leaves lack any gloss because of their unusual c-shaped cell papillae. If you are deft enough to remove a leaf in the field (easier under a stereomicroscope) then the large, hyaline basal cells are also a giveaway for this genus.
Read the Field Guide account
