Common Apple-moss
Growing away at the foot of a small, north-facing cliff, this moss was crying out to be noticed. The pale green capsules looked like a host of small balloons. Or like apples!
The old capsules are brown and ribbed.
The Guide says that the capsules stay on the plant for a long time, which is a bonus. The leaves are pale glaucous green, nicely separated and in spiky little clumps.
Under the microscope, I could see that the top edges are toothed.
The rocks at Drumcarrow are igneous, as far as I can find out. (Dolerite sill.) The Guide says: “B. pomiformis is a calcifuge, preferring base-poor rock types including sandstone and shale.” This is all very difficult, but I think it all matches up: it means the moss is growing in a fairly acid environment without the limestone which is present in some parts of Fife.
Anyway, it was thriving in its little sheltered corner and I was delighted to find it there.
Learning about Mosses 