In the damp Sintra hills (Portugal) there is a tiny fern-like moss growing on damp rocks. Does anybody recognise it?
Not a recognition, but possibly Anomodon attenuatus? Does that occur in Portugal? At the very least, it reminds me of something in the Brachytheciaceae or closely related family (I think that family is being split up...).
Thanks for the tip re possible Anomodon attenuatus. I searched the Web, but did not find any pics to conclusively confirm or deny that ID. According to one site, its distribution is "North America, Europe and Asia", so it may possibly be found in the Sintra area. So, for the present, will stay with "Anomodon attenuatus (?)"!
Several similar mosses in Britain; try comparing these species to see if any match better: Neckera complanata Thuidium tamariscinum Cratoneuron commutatum Isothecium myurum Cirriphyllum piliferum Pseudoscleropodium purum Hylocomium splendens Ptilium cristacastrensis
Re the list of possible species, after surfing the web I concluded that there were two in the list most similar to my plant: Thuidium tamariscinum and Hylocomium splendens, and of these the first being the most probable. Somewhere on a web forum, I also found somebody asking about a very similar plant, with somebody posting a name of Thuidium delicatulum. So, my conclusion is that my plant is a Thuidium sp.; it will probably need a local expert to know which speceis is most likley to be found here at Sintra.
I would discount Hylocomium splendens (based on what is shown in the photographs). It has a distinctive growth pattern not evident here.
