English name: Glittering wood-moss
A pleurocarpous moss that is glossy, bright green and robust and is often seen as a flight of steps. It has a red stem and is bi-pinnately branched. Branch leaves are concave and have a short tip.
In Scotland, Hylocomium splendens in widespread on heaths and moorland and in birch, pine and oak woodland amongst grass and heather. BBS distribution map
Look out for Dicranum scoparium, Plagiothecium undulatum, Polytrichastrum formosum and Pseudoscleropodium purum nearby.
Confusion species: Thuidium tamariscinum
scottishlichens.co.uk 