English name: Squirrel-tail moss
A pleurocarpous moss that produces vigorous colonies of brownish green to brown shoots that are gently curved. The stems curve away from the substratum. The longitudinally pleated leaves are tightly adpressed.
In Scotland, Leucodon sciuroides has a scattered distribution, and is found on trees with base-rich bark such as ash and sycamore, and on the base of rock outcrops, old walls and gravestones. BBS distribution map
Look out for Frullania dilatata, Homalothecium sericeum, Orthotrichum lyelii and Syntrichia laevipila nearby.
Confusion species: Homalothecium sericeum
scottishlichens.co.uk 