Didymodon cf. australasiae update

Didymodon cf. australasiae 'dirt zone' habitat

I've been back to Dafen and noted the putative Didymodon australasiae was locally frequent in the 'dirt zone' of the road verge, the population appearing in patches (some very extensive) for over 1 km of the A4138. Yesterday I pulled into the lay-by of the Loughor bypass section of the A484 (Glamorgan) and walked back to a suitable looking dirty verge at SS56359793. Sure enough there was a good scattering of the same taxon. To assist potential searches the following pointers and photos should help build a search image:

• Forms mid-dark green patches, darker than frequently associated Barbula spp. and lacks brownish tones of D. tophaceus and orange tones of D. fallax.
• Grows both as mono-specific turf and as occasional shoots mixed with other spp.
• Leaves spreading-patent, tapering, the tip sometimes appearing pinched towards to a moderately cuculate tip.
• Some plants have broader leaves and the pinched leaf tip is more evident, these may be younger plants?
• The strong nerve is very evident on the upper surface of the leaf in certain light.
• Contrary to my earlier comments the species does crisp up a bit when dry as shown below.

It seems reasonable to suspect this species might be frequent in and around the Swansea-Llanelli area and possibly further afield, so if folks can take the opportunity to check the dirt zone of our major roads it will be interesting to find out how widespread the taxon really is - hopefully further clarification of its identification will come in good time.

Image above showing a couple of shoots mixed in with D. tophaeceus, B. convoluta and P. hornschuchianum.

Spoil heap bryos

Most of you will probably have noticed the large spoil tip on the skyline as you head north on the A470 from Cardiff towards Pontypridd. Here's a screen grab from Google Street View, though it makes the tip look less prominent than it actually is.

Cilfynydd tip on horizon

I'm generally a fan of coal spoil but even I have to admit that this tip is pretty unsightly - the steep slopes are still largely bare. Anyway, it made for a handy pit stop heading back to Cardiff yesterday - and surprisingly lay within a tetrad with no previous bryophyte records (ST09W).

Up close the spoil was more attractive with a nice bryophyte assemblage. I've not done much recording on coal spoil and the mix of species was unfamiliar, but probably not so to those of you who've sampled this habitat more often. Of the 17 species recorded the most abundant were Dicranum scoparium, Pseudoscleropodium purum, Campylopus introflexus and Racomitrium ericoides. Also frequent were Polytrichum piliferum, P. juniperinum and Hypnum lacunosum (at least, looking chunky and brown enough to be the latter rather than just cupressiforme). There was a small fruiting patch of Barbula convoluta, showing the sheathing perichaetial leaves at the base of the seta which give this species its name.

The flora was generally pretty uniform but a damp hollow produced small patches of Fissidens dubius (checked microscopically) and Bryum pseudotriquetrum.

I'm saving the Nant Cae-dudwg (in the same tetrad, with footpath access) for a stop when I have a little more time!