Bonfire-moss - Funaria hygrometrica
This is a common plant in lowland Britain and is one that beginners will soon learn to recognize. The short (3 to 10 mm) shoots of this moss form loose carpets. The egg-shaped leaves vary in size (2 to 4 mm long) and are translucent, with very large, lax cells, easily seen with a ×10 hand lens. Asymmetrical capsules are usually present in abundance, borne on a long (3 to 5 cm), swan-neck seta, with a large, delicate calyptra and a convex lid.
This weedy species is a colonist of bare, disturbed, nutrient-rich soils; it is particularly characteristic of old bonfire sites.
All year round.
Widespread and frequent in Britain.
Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland.
Leicestershire & Rutland Map
Enter a town or village to see local records
MAP KEY:
Yellow squares = NBN records (all known data)
Coloured circles = NatureSpot records: 2025+ | 2020-2024 | pre-2020
UK Map
Species profile
- Common names
- Common Cord-moss
- Species group:
- Mosses & Liverworts
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Funariales
- Family:
- Funariaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 44
- First record:
- 12/12/1993 (Dennis Ballard)
- Last record:
- 25/01/2025 (Nicholls, David)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
10km squares with records
The latest images and records displayed below include those awaiting verification checks so we cannot guarantee that every identification is correct. Once accepted, the record displays a green tick.
In the Latest Records section, click on the header to sort A-Z, and again to sort Z-A. Use the header boxes to filter the list.