Common Striated Feather-moss

Looking rather lovely on a frosty morning.

This one was growing in a loose tangle on tree roots in a deciduous wood (Craighall Den).  The first impression was of long thin branches going off in all directions.

On a closer look, you can see that the branches are quite irregular, not feather-like, and the little pointed leaves have stripes or folds running length-wise.

When I got it under the microscope, I could see that the leaf is vaguely heart-shaped at the base.

I was quite happy with my identification of Eurhynchium striatum until I discovered I had another named specimen (from Abernethy) which looked much more compact and robust:

Here’s a picture of the two, side by side:

However, I then found yet another little named packet, this time from Killiecrankie, which looked more like my Craighall Den specimen:

So on the whole I’m happy with my identification, but will check for beaked capsules next time I’m in Craighall Den.