Identification notes
Immortalised by Dr Chris Preston in the Field Guide as ‘Miss Whiplash-moss’ Trichodon cylindricus has a wispy, whip-like appearance that sets it apart from most other small acrocarps of disturbed, moderately acid soil. Once its appearance and habitats are known, there is not usually too much difficulty in identifying it. Its unusual leaf shape (sheathing base narrowing abruptly to a long, very narrow upper part that is mostly nerve) is visible with a hand-lens. In cultivated ground, it can sometimes be found growing with Dicranella schreberiana, which has quite a similar leaf shape (although not as ‘whippy’) and care needs to be taken to guarantee an accurate identification.
Read the Field Guide account
