Identification notes

This tiny species is less than 5mm tall and tends to grow in patches in its typical habitat of vertical eroded clayey soil banks beside woodland streams. It is worth searching for in such localities, as it is very distinctive. Because the nerve tends to bend away from the stem axis about halfway up the leaf, the tip of the leaf points outwards giving it a curved appearance. The overall effect is most neat and elegant, as the shoots tend to be regular, parallel sided, spaced apart and about the same size.

Under a hand lens, the kinked nerve is obvious. The nerve ends in the leaf tip.

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland

As befits the name, this is essentially a western plant although a similar habitat is provided in the Sussex Weald.