Plants often look brown, are 1 to 2 mm tall, and seem to consist of a few concave upper leaves (up to 2 mm long) which clasp a capsule that is almost completely hidden amongst them. These upper leaves have plane margins that are bluntly toothed towards the rounded tip, and a nerve that usually flows outwardly. The lower leaves are much smaller than the upper leaves. The spherical capsules are common in winter, and borne on a seta that is little more than 0.1 mm long.

Images in a red box are likely to be this species but we cannot say for sure.

This species has a red ID rating and unless identified by a known expert you must provide a satisfactory explanation of how it was identified for the record to be accepted.

A. muticum grows on bare, base-deficient, well-drained soil in arable fields, gravel pits, by tracks and paths, on banks and on anthills.

All year round.

Widespread and fairly frequent in Britain.

Fairly frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland.