Identification notes
This rare Mediterranean ephemeral was not added to the British list of bryophytes until 2012, too late to be included either in Smith’s flora or in the Field Guide. Sam Bosanquet published a very informative account of its discovery and how to identify it and separate it from the similar-looking and quite common E. fascicularis.
When capsules are immature, it’s possible to confuse E. mouretii with E. pulchellus and E. muhlenbergii, both of which share its limestone habitats. Until the calyptra falls off, its beak is jauntily angled to one side in all three species, and gives the impression of an asymmetrical capsule in E. mouretii, which is doesn’t actually have, unlike the other two species.
