Kindbergia praelonga

HomeLearningSpecies FinderKindbergia praelonga

Identification notes

Although Kindbergia praelonga can look a little like a number of other common ground-dwelling pleurocarps, it is actually quite straightforward to confirm its identity.

With a hand-lens, compare the leaves growing on the main stem with those on the branches. If it’s K. praelonga you should easily see differences in (i) size, (ii) shape and (iii) orientation. The stem leaves are much wider than the branch leaves,  and clasp the stem at the base. When moist, the upper part of the stem leaves curves backwards in a way that the smaller branch leaves never do. Oxyrrhynchium hians, a similar-looking species which is often found in the same places, has leaves which are similar on both stem and branch.

K. praelonga is one of our most shade-tolerant species and is sometimes the only moss to be found on the ground below dense scrub, especially where soils are enriched.

Read the Field Guide account

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland

 

View distribution from the BBS Atlas 2014

Similar Species