Sphagnum fallax Flat-topped Bog-moss

A common, dioicous bog-moss of wet, nutrient-poor habitats incuding fens, mires, ditches and woodland banks. It is one of three species belonging to the Sphagnum recurvum complex. It is quite variable and sometimes difficult to identify with certainty in the field. Some colonies have a striking mustard-brown colour and the capitula have a stellate structure. Male plants sometimes have a dark tip to the capitula (see photo) which makes them quite conspicuous. It has a distinct western and northern distribution in Britain and it is found throughout much of Wales. In West Glamorgan it is a common moss on the Gower Commons and in the uplands of the South Wales Coalfield, including ditches and banks along forest roads. Sporophyte capsules are occasional.