Grimmia torquata

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Identification notes

Although a common crag-dwelling moss in many upland areas, Grimmia torquata does not have that many distinctive characters and it resembles any number of other cushion-forming acrocarps. Its hair-points are also often lacking or indistinct, so it doesn’t look like a typical Grimmia either.

In the field, break open one of its dense cushions to confirm its diagnostic character of leaves spiralling around the stem, with incurved apices. Another useful character is the S-curve of its nerve from base to tip of leaf.

Read the Field Guide account

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland

This can be a very common moss in areas of hard acid rock in the hills and mountains.

View distribution from the BBS Atlas 2014

Resource you may find useful

The Bryophyte identification page under Resources contains several useful keys and other information on the genus Grimmia.

Bryophyte identification resources