Identification notes
Until around 2000, M. ulicina was often the only one of the very small Lejeuneaceae that you might encounter away from the coast or highly oceanic situations (such as in a ravine in the west). However, the great expansion of the range of Myriocoleopsis (Cololejeunea) minutissima inland and eastwards since then means that the two species now often grow in the same sites.
Although M. minutissima usually has some perianths, their absence does not automatically point to M. ulicina and plants should really be checked to see if the tell-tale large underleaves of M. ulicina are present. This is not an easy feat in the field!
A useful – if not entirely infallible – pointer to M. ulicina is the way it grows as straggling stems rather than the dense patches typical of M. minutissima.
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