English name: Alpine thread-moss
An acrocarpous moss that forms crimson or purple-brown tufts that may be green in shade. The shoots have shiny leaves with recurved leaf margins. The capsules are pear-shaped and pendulous and held on a wine-red seta.
Capsules mature in summer.
In Scotland, Bryum alpinum is more common in the west and upland areas where it grows on flushed rocks, thin soil over rock and bare soil in habitats such as stream sides, quarries and forestry tracks. BBS distribution map
Confusion species: Bryum pallens, Bryum pseudotriquetrum
scottishlichens.co.uk 