Identification notes
This moss is very variable in habitat and some forms are likely to be confused with various other species, especially Bryum. Then, it’s worth bearing in mind a couple of useful general characters that usually sort out Pohlia from Bryum. The easiest one to observe with Pohlia nutans in the hand is the way the nerve disappears in the leaf apex; in most species of Bryum the nerve is excurrent. Then, teeth are often visible toward the tip of the leaf of P. nutans, an infrequent character in Bryum and mainly seen in species which have much wider leaves (P. nutans has long narrow leaves).
P. nutans is often found without capsules, and then its dark green tufts can look rather anonymous, although the lower stems are usually covered in a conspicuous brownish tomentum.
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