English: Squirrel-tail Moss.
Region: cosmopolitan.
Habitat: on trees with base-rich bark such as
Fraxinus excelsior and
Acer pseudoplatanus, on base-rich rock outcrops, stone monuments or gravestones.
BotanyGrowth form: pleurocarp.
Leucodon sciuroides is medium-sized or large moss, with shoots typically 4 to 5 cm long.
Stem: stems, sparsely branched, attached to the substrate only at the base; stems and branches curved like a longbow.
Leaves: tightly appressed when dry; spread out almost instantly when moistened; about 3 mm long; longitudinally pleated; taper to an acute, but not finely pointed tip, lack a nerve, and have rounded cells; tiny, easily detached branchlets are often found in a mass at the stem tip.
Capsules: rare.