E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Species description:
Species name describing the usual habitat of walls.

Reproduction:
Sporophytes abundant, red-brown, with red, cork­screw twisted peristome teeth; maturing in spring.

Comments:
This is an extremely common species in urban areas and infrequent in natural environments. The abundance of mortar surface and persistence of seasonal moisture no doubt favour it.

Distinguishing characteristics:
The usual habitat on mortar or concrete in urban areas, combined with the white hair points of the leaves and the erect-cylindric sporangia with red, spirally twisted peristome teeth are useful characters.

Habit:
Forming short, reddish-brown (when dry), bluish-green (when humid) to whitish turfs, with the white hair points often dominating the leafy plants.

Similar Species:
T. brevipes is similar to T. muralis but the peristome teeth have a basal cylinder from which the teeth emerge; the teeth in T. muralis lack this tube (shown in the figure of T. princeps). See note under Grimmia pulvinata.