The Habitat of the Neglected Independent Protonemal Stage of .

is a well-known species of decaying deadwood, which is protected in Europe. All previous studies dealing with the ecology of rely on the sporophyte generation because the gametophyte generation is allegedly undetectable. Recent advances have shown that the protonemal stage, including gemmae, is recognizable in the field, thereby considerably modifying our perception of the species' range and habitat.