River Loughor epiphytes

Orthotrichum sprucei

A quick afternoon visit to the banks of the Glamorgan side of the Loughor in SN50Y was made to give the square total a boost. The first tree I inspected, a Rusty Willow, had plenty of the expected epiphytes, one I was hoping for - Orthotrichum rivulare, plus another that I wasn't expecting - O. sprucei, which was fruiting and replete with gemmae, so in pretty full-on reproduction mode. This was a new species for me, which I suspect will prove to be more widespread along this river.

Clyne Gardens tree stump

There's nothing particularly remarkable about this stump, which supported a modest selection of typical stump species, including some nice patches of Lepidozia reptans (photo below). However, one thing I've not encountered before was finding Microlejeunea ulicina growing on the shoots of Polytrichastrum formosum, the latter acting as pseudo-phorophyte for the normally arboreal M. ulicina.

Campylium on forestry tracks

Campylium protensum has made a taxonomic quantum leap from a variety of Campylium stellatum to a full species and the two taxa can be difficult to separate with puzzling intermediates. After seeing Barry's recent post on the Abercanaid road cutting, where he showed a striking population of Campylium protensum, I wondered whether we've been overlooking this species in NPT and, in particular, misidentifying Campylium stellatum.
We've recorded Campylium stellatum along a number of forest tracks, e.g. there is a significant population in the Rhigos/Cwm-hwnt forestry on the border with RCT and others in the Rheola/Resolven forests (and doubtless, elsewhere). We haven't been able to check all the populations, but we've reviewed the Cwm-hwnt plants and one of the Resolven populations.The habit and morphology of these plants are the same, so I am satisfied that, at least, they are the same taxon.
The photograph below shows the Cwm-hwnt habitat with scattered Campylium colonies.

Campylium habitat, Cwm-hwnt

The colonies are pale green, fairly compact and consist of upright plants. Typical associates include Bryum psudotriquetrum, Calliergonella cuspidata, Cratoneuron filicinum, Ctenidium molluscum and Fissidens adianthoides and you might describe this as a base-rich flush.

Campylium habit, Cwm-hwnt

The plants, which have a very nice scent (I've not seen that described elsewhere), are small but their size falls within a range for both protensum and stellatum. They are not as large as some plants I've seen in dune slacks. The are not prostrate but some plants have some pinnate branching.

Campylium, Cwm-hwnt

The Campylium key in Smith separates the two species on the basis of habit (prostrate = protensum versus upright = stellatum), the relative length of the acumen (in abruptly narrowed leaves) and in the anatomy of the leaf - whether alar cells form distinct auricles.

In all the colonies I examined, there were no prostrate plants.The longest acumen I could find was 65% of the total leaf length. This is at the upper limit for stellatum (the acumen can be much longer in protensum). Some leaves show a squarrose tendency, which is a protensum characteristic, but this is not a prominent feature (see photo above):

Abruptly narrowed Campylium leaf showing acumen

And the alar cells form distinct auricles (which is a feature of stellatum):

Campylium leaf showing alar cells and auricles (note slightly squarrose leaf tip).

On balance, I think these forestry track plants are Campylium stellatum, although the habitat may seem suitable for Campylium protensum. Comments and opinions on my interpretation please.

Abercanaid query

There were some scrappy shoots amongst the Fissidens adianthoides, which at first glance looked like an interesting Cephalozia, but I'm suspecting they may just be young shoots of Lophozia excisa. Given the habitat of basic seepage on a road cutting, the latter is perhaps more likely, but without any fertile parts or gemmae it may best just be forgotten?  Any comments welcome before I do just that.
NB smallest tick marks on low power images = 25µm and at higher power = 2.5µm. The largest shoots I could find were just over 1mm wide.

Abercanaid road cutting

Light green patches are Campylium protensum 

 left: C. protensum & D. inclinatum, right D. inclinatum

An opportune and totally random stop just off the A470 for a 15 minute bash to boost SO00R produced some useful records including Distichium inclinatum, Gymnostomum aeruginosum and some lovely dense cushions of Campylium protensum. The cutting was well vegetated with quite a lot of scrub, but open areas with loose shale and the occasional rock exposure supported a distinct suite of seepage calicoles, with the above species all being well represented.

Campylium protensum

Distichium inclinatum (NB capsules occasional, just not on this bit)

Loeskeobryum habitat and distribution in Neath Port Talbot

Loeskeobryum brevirostre, Cwm-hwnt forestry, NPT

Here's an update on the distribution of Loeskeobryum brevirostre in Glamorgan (tetrads), at least according to my current Mapmate records, All records (except for one in the Pyrddin Valley, Brecon side of the river) are for NPT, where it is most frequently associated with larch, particularly on reclaimed coal tips and open cast. There is plenty of this habitat elsewhere in Glamorgan, e.g. in Bridgend and RCT. There may be less suitable habitat in Swansea but the Penllegaer plantation may be  good place to look for it. This is a relatively new ecology for this species but its association with coal tips has been mentioned before. In the Pyrddin Valley it is found in a more 'native', humid-ravine type habitat.

Apparent distribution of Loeskeobryum brevirostre in Glamorgan

Other interesting species that occur in similar places include Sanionia uncinata.

Sanionia uncinata. Cwm-hwnt Forestry

Something Spanish

A couple of samples collected from the Costa Brava a few weeks back, during a brief excursion following my niece's wedding. It's not beyond the realms of possibility one of these species could turn up in Glamorgan, the former more likely given it's occurrence in Monmouthshire. [NB both sample id's unverified]

Hedwigia ciliata var. leucophaea

Plasteurhynchium (Eurhynchium) meridionale

Forestry tracks

Charles asked for a rundown of the bryophytes I have found on forestry tracks in Carmarthenshire.  The following is an update of the table we included in Mosses and Liverworts of Carmarthenshire; there's a similar one in my Pembs Flora too.  It comprises 1006 records of 122 taxa recorded by me (rather than any other Carms bryologists) on forestry tracks (as opposed to banks or ditches by those tracks).  Clearly these are not rigorously scientific records, although I have been pretty consistent in noting habitat - the greater number of records of Campylopus subulatus than Calliergonella cuspidata reflects its perceived rarity and therefore a greater number of one-off records (perhaps I should filter them by tetrad/monad).  Anyway, they give a general impression of the richness of this habitat!!

1: sorted by taxon

Archidium alternifolium	19
Atrichum undulatum	16
Aulacomnium palustre	1
Barbula convoluta var. convoluta	7
Barbula unguiculata	15
Blasia pusilla	2
Brachythecium albicans	4
Brachythecium rivulare	2
Brachythecium rutabulum	6
Breutelia chrysocoma	8
Bryoerythrophyllum ferruginascens	3
Bryum alpinum	28
Bryum argenteum	1
Bryum capillare var. capillare	2
Bryum dichotomum	14
Bryum pallens	1
Bryum pseudotriquetrum s.l.	6
Bryum rubens	1
Bryum subapiculatum	2
Calliergonella cuspidata	25
Campylopus introflexus	12
Campylopus pyriformis	2
Campylopus subulatus	29
Cephalozia bicuspidata	1
Cephaloziella divaricata	1
Cephaloziella hampeana	1
Cephaloziella sp.	4
Ceratodon purpureus	22
Cratoneuron filicinum	14
Ctenidium molluscum var. molluscum	1
Dichodontium pellucidum	1
Dichodontium sp.	1
Dicranella heteromalla	3
Dicranella palustris	2
Dicranella rufescens	11
Dicranella schreberiana	1
Dicranella staphylina	2
Dicranella subulata	1
Dicranella varia	11
Dicranum majus	1
Dicranum scoparium	6
Didymodon fallax	19
Didymodon ferrugineus	2
Didymodon insulanus	5
Diplophyllum albicans	6
Diplophyllum obtusifolium	1
Ditrichum cylindricum	7
Ditrichum gracile	1
Ditrichum heteromallum	7
Ditrichum lineare	2
Drepanocladus aduncus	1
Eurhynchium praelongum	9
Fissidens bryoides	3
Fissidens celticus	1
Fissidens exilis	2
Fissidens taxifolius subsp. taxifolius	3
Fossombronia incurva	2
Fossombronia pusilla	3
Fossombronia sp.	2
Fossombronia wondraczekii	9
Funaria hygrometrica	4
Gymnocolea inflata	1
Hylocomium splendens	8
Hypnum cupressiforme	2
Hypnum jutlandicum	22
Hypnum lindbergii	27
Jungermannia gracillima	30
Jungermannia hyalina	1
Lophocolea bidentata	6
Marsupella emarginata var. emarginata	2
Mnium hornum	1
Nardia scalaris	18
Oligotrichum hercynicum	20
Pellia endiviifolia	1
Pellia epiphylla	5
Pellia neesiana	8
Phaeoceros laevis	1
Philonotis fontana	27
Plagiomnium undulatum	2
Pleuridium acuminatum	4
Pleuridium subulatum	3
Pleurozium schreberi	1
Pogonatum aloides	8
Pogonatum urnigerum	56
Pohlia annotina	43
Pohlia camptotrachela	6
Pohlia drummondii (photo above)	12
Pohlia nutans	3
Pohlia wahlenbergii var. wahlenbergii	26
Polytrichum commune var. commune	2
Polytrichum commune var. perigoniale	28
Polytrichum formosum	5
Polytrichum juniperinum	36
Polytrichum piliferum	14
Pseudocrossidium hornschuchianum	2
Racomitrium aciculare	1
Racomitrium aquaticum	2
Racomitrium elongatum	2
Racomitrium ericoides	37
Racomitrium fasciculare	1
Racomitrium lanuginosum	3
Rhytidiadelphus loreus	10
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus	35
Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus	1
Riccardia chamedryfolia	6
Riccardia multifida	1
Riccia glauca	2
Riccia sorocarpa	4
Scapania compacta	1
Scapania irrigua	35
Scapania nemorea	5
Scapania scandica	1
Scapania undulata	2
Scleropodium purum	15
Sphagnum denticulatum	3
Sphagnum subnitens var. subnitens	1
Thuidium tamariscinum	12
Tortula truncata	11
Trichostomum crispulum	2
Weissia controversa var. controversa	1
Weissia rutilans	1
Weissia sp.	1

2: sorted by number of records

Pogonatum urnigerum	56
Pohlia annotina	43
Racomitrium ericoides	37
Polytrichum juniperinum	36
Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus	35
Scapania irrigua	35
Jungermannia gracillima	30
Campylopus subulatus	29
Bryum alpinum	28
Polytrichum commune var. perigoniale	28
Hypnum lindbergii	27
Philonotis fontana	27
Pohlia wahlenbergii var. wahlenbergii	26
Calliergonella cuspidata	25
Ceratodon purpureus	22
Hypnum jutlandicum	22
Oligotrichum hercynicum	20
Archidium alternifolium	19
Didymodon fallax	19
Nardia scalaris	18
Atrichum undulatum	16
Barbula unguiculata	15
Scleropodium purum	15
Bryum dichotomum	14
Cratoneuron filicinum	14
Polytrichum piliferum	14
Campylopus introflexus	12
Pohlia drummondii	12
Thuidium tamariscinum	12
Dicranella rufescens	11
Dicranella varia	11
Tortula truncata	11
Rhytidiadelphus loreus	10
Eurhynchium praelongum	9
Fossombronia wondraczekii	9
Breutelia chrysocoma	8
Hylocomium splendens	8
Pellia neesiana	8
Pogonatum aloides	8
Barbula convoluta var. convoluta	7
Ditrichum cylindricum	7
Ditrichum heteromallum	7
Brachythecium rutabulum	6
Bryum pseudotriquetrum s.l.	6
Dicranum scoparium	6
Diplophyllum albicans	6
Lophocolea bidentata	6
Pohlia camptotrachela	6
Riccardia chamedryfolia	6
Didymodon insulanus	5
Pellia epiphylla	5
Polytrichum formosum	5
Scapania nemorea	5
Brachythecium albicans	4
Cephaloziella sp.	4
Funaria hygrometrica	4
Pleuridium acuminatum	4
Riccia sorocarpa	4
Bryoerythrophyllum ferruginascens	3
Dicranella heteromalla	3
Fissidens bryoides	3
Fissidens taxifolius subsp. taxifolius	3
Fossombronia pusilla	3
Pleuridium subulatum	3
Pohlia nutans	3
Racomitrium lanuginosum	3
Sphagnum denticulatum	3
Blasia pusilla	2
Brachythecium rivulare	2
Bryum capillare var. capillare	2
Bryum subapiculatum	2
Campylopus pyriformis	2
Dicranella palustris	2
Dicranella staphylina	2
Didymodon ferrugineus	2
Ditrichum lineare	2
Fissidens exilis	2
Fossombronia incurva	2
Fossombronia sp.	2
Hypnum cupressiforme	2
Marsupella emarginata var. emarginata	2
Plagiomnium undulatum	2
Polytrichum commune var. commune	2
Pseudocrossidium hornschuchianum	2
Racomitrium aquaticum	2
Racomitrium elongatum	2
Riccia glauca	2
Scapania undulata	2
Trichostomum crispulum	2
Aulacomnium palustre	1
Bryum argenteum	1
Bryum pallens	1
Bryum rubens	1
Cephalozia bicuspidata	1
Cephaloziella divaricata	1
Cephaloziella hampeana	1
Ctenidium molluscum var. molluscum	1
Dichodontium pellucidum	1
Dichodontium sp.	1
Dicranella schreberiana	1
Dicranella subulata	1
Dicranum majus	1
Diplophyllum obtusifolium	1
Ditrichum gracile	1
Drepanocladus aduncus	1
Fissidens celticus	1
Gymnocolea inflata	1
Jungermannia hyalina	1
Mnium hornum	1
Pellia endiviifolia	1
Phaeoceros laevis	1
Pleurozium schreberi	1
Racomitrium aciculare	1
Racomitrium fasciculare	1
Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus	1
Riccardia multifida	1
Scapania compacta	1
Scapania scandica	1
Sphagnum subnitens var. subnitens	1
Weissia controversa var. controversa	1
Weissia rutilans	1
Weissia sp.	1