Identification notes
M. badensis and M. turbinata can be hard to tell apart in the field, especially when shoots are growing in dense patches through calcareous clay and when perianths are present on female shoots as it can then be very hard to discern the shape of the leaves. Sometimes, shoots can be isolated in the hand that clearly show stem leaf bases that are obviously decurrent (so leaves are conspicuously broader at the base than at the apex) and these are good candidates for M. badensis.
The best confirmatory character of M. badensis is found in its leaf cells (also in the perianth and bract cells, if present). These have trigones, something that M. turbinata lacks. Microscopic examination is however needed to see these.
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