Lophocolea bispinosa, forestry road verge RCT
Lophocolea bispinosa (as above)
Quite a bit of this along a forestry track (SS 9226/9739) in RCT, where there is still significant snow in places. Not new for VC41 (earlier records by Sam and Barry), but new for RCT and a new hectad record (SS99) - I think! Well known to most of you no doubt, but it's a new species for me. In the vicinity, a small colony of Lycopodium clavatum was also spotted by 'my companion'. Willows along the road had the usual common epiphytes, including Colura. Yesterday's recording brings the tetrad (SS99I) to approx. 50 bryophyte spp., but there's more to find I'm sure Also recorded in this tetrad (but not by us) - Cryptogramma cispa, Dryopteris oreades and Hymenophyllum wilsonii, so it's got some nice stuff.
Today in the Afan Valley Loeskeobryum brevirostre (4th record for NPT) and Didymodon sinuosus were added to the Country Park (Afan Argoed) species list.
It's not one I've seen Charles - unless I've overlooked it as bidentata (though it looks reasonably distinctive in your photos).
ReplyDeleteI don't think you'd overlook it as bidentata George. Most plants are significantly smaller and tend to fragment easily on handling, and the relatively dense turfs are most unlike that species. Some plants resemble Cephalozia to a certain extent, but you'll recognise it as something different straight away.
ReplyDeleteGreat find Charles - it will be interesting to see if this one spreads as I'm suspecting we might be picking it up in an early phase of colonisation?
ReplyDelete