Putative Dicranoloma menziesii

...at least that what it looks like to me, but I'm happy to be corrected.

This evening I eventually got round to looking at a specimen of another unfamiliar species I collected on the weekend, from the same clump of tree ferns where the Ptychomnion grows in the Wallace Garden at NBGW. Apparently these ferns were imported from New Zealand about 5 years ago. I'll post a few microscope images later, but here's my rather paltry specimen to give the general impression (for scale leaves ~8mm). Cell structure matches the illustrations HERE perfectly...fingers crossed I've not overlooked something native!

Bryum query

Probably a title you all dread!

I was doing fieldwork on the northern slopes of Mynydd y Gaer (SN9486) on Friday, and noted a few bryos as I went along. Most were very commonplace species as would be expected on an acidic bracken slope, but the frequent ant hills were a bit more interesting with occasional Ptilidium ciliare, Campylopus pyriformis and the Bryum shown below.

These small reddish plants were growing mixed with C. pyriformis. After digging around I did find a few rhizoidal tubers, which were the deep red-brown colour suggested by the final photo. The rhizoids themselves were brown and papillose.

Rhizoidal tuber placed on leaf to give indication of size

Cells somewhat incrassate. Leaves bordered with recurved margins.

Given the dry acidic habitat, I wondered if this could be B. bornholmense, but I'm probably way off the mark. Any suggestions welcome, thanks.

George

Bygone bryologists hang your heads in shame

This is Rhaeadr Ddu - the most spectacular waterfall on the Afon Gamlan in Coed Ganllwyd NNR, Meirionydd.  A recent survey by Des Callaghan has helped to confirm this woodland as the richest for oceanic bryophytes in Wales and the site with the largest Welsh populations of a large number of species such as Cephalozia catenulata and Sematophyllum demissum.  Des did not refind the Nationally Scarce, Section 42 Paraleptodontium recurvifolium there, and nor has anyone since 1958.  I spent half an hour today searching specifically for it and found none, though it is just possible that an abseil survey might reveal it.  Its loss is a sad tale of thankfully bygone days:

Last month I looked at all of the Welsh specimens of Paraleptodontium in the NMW herbarium, just to confirm that the species really was historically present at 10 or so Welsh sites.  All were correctly identified and all were depressingly, grotesquely large.  Between 1900 and 1958 the colony at Coed Ganllwyd was plundered for private collections and for 'distribution' to other bryologists and herbaria repeatedly, and there are more than 25 specimens from the site.  Many of these are 10x20cm pure patches, suggesting that bygone bryologists grabbed good handfuls of this rare species.  The last collection is from 1958, and its collection (by a now deceased bryologist who I will not name here) horrified Derek Ratcliffe who witnessed the event.  The collector actually said it was the last bit that he could find on the site!

Most of the specimens of Paraleptodontium from Rhaedr Ddu contain bits of Breutelia chrysocoma and/or Sphagnum denticulatum, and the 1958 specimen says "growing through Campylopus setifolius opposite the main waterfall".  As I had seen C. setifolius there on previous visits I knew just where to look, so I had a glimmer of hope that Paraleptodontium could have survived; it hasn't.  The associates are all still there and look spectacular, especially the large patches of the Campylopus.

Despite this loss, Coed Ganllwyd is the most wonderful place in which to see oceanic bryophytes - take a hand lens and the Field Guide (and even better a bryologist who can show you what's there) and admire boulders and rockfaces covered with Sematophyllum, Drepanolejeunea, Harpalejeunea, Colura, Adelanthus, 6 species of Plagiochila, Hypnum callichroum, Dicranodontium denudatum etc. etc.  It is just a 5 minute walk from the National Trust carpark at Dolmelynllyn, Ganllwyd.  Just please don't collect any specimens!

Epiphytic Bryoerythrophyllum

No photos today, just a couple of snippets of minor interest to acknowledge that I have managed some recording effort in the last week or two, helped by the recent rains.

I guess it is not a common phenomenon to find Bryoerythrophyllum recurvirostrum growing as an epiphyte, but there were a few fruiting tufts growing on a horizontal branch of Sambucus nigra alongside Bryum capillare at Parc Trostre today.

A couple of days back I chanced upon a nice colony of Bryum archangelicum at Whiteford, a new species for me (voucher retained).

Fungus on a moss

Sorting through some old photos this evening, I can across this - taken on my in-laws lawn in Cornwall on New Year's Day 2012. This appears to be the basidiomycete Arrhenia retiruga growing on Calliergonella cuspidata. Has anyone else seen anything similar?

Mobile Moss (update)

I spotted this as yet unidentified moss growing inside the umbilicus of a live Strawberry Snail Trichia striolata at NBGW yesterday. Probably not that unusual, but thought it a bit quirky all the same! I still have the snail but have not yet sampled the moss within so any suggestions welcome (I guess it's going to be a calcicole). Also I would be interested to hear if anyone else has encountered anything similar.

... finally got round to looking at the snail-moss and it's Rhynchostegiella tenella

‘New’ Southbya tophacea location

Both myself and Hannah have been scouring the cliffs of the Glamorgan coast now for the past two months identifying tufaceous seepgaes and the Maidenhair fern.. all with the aim of finding more Southbya or perhaps something else interesting. Julian Woodman was kind enough to take me to the well known locality at Aberthaw and now hopefully I can report on another ‘new’ locality.

I had a good look in the historical notes for Southbya and it was reported in Porthkerry in 1949-50 (Cardiff Nats) but no accurate grid references were provided.  Georges blog dated 18thJan 2015 (titled Porthkerry) provides more details of his trip along the Bull Cliff. So armed with this knowledge I suspected that the Cold Knap to Rhoose section was a good bet.  

As luck would have it we located the area that was mentioned in the Cardiff Nats…it is west of the Porthkerry park just a short hop along the coast. In total we recorded nearly 30 individual stands of Southbya….far more than I had seen at the Aberthaw section.

In total there were three separate sections all within one larger more general area (I wont put up 10 Fig NGRs just in case the blog goes public - but I will send all to whoever it is that wants them).

• Location 1 was on a dangerous cliff face, a little scrabble up a grassy bank and two stands 5cm large were identified, part sheltered by some grass. I wouldn’t recommend getting too close to this cliff face.

• Location 2 was direct on a cliff face near a small fault where recent rock fall suggested I shouldn’t hang around too long. There were 7 stands of Southbya in a 2m area.

• Location 3 – by far the largest was on a very accessible cliff face. We counted at least 20 stands of Southbya all at head height along a 8m or so section of tufa covered cliff.

Interestingly Locations 2 and 3 were on very exposed cliff face with no other vegetation providing shelter – like at Aberthaw.

I hope this is a good record for Southbya and if someone could tell me where I should register the full details (SEWBREC/ George T/ NRW ???etc etc)  that would be great. 

Porthkerry- Southbya location 1. If you squnit you can see me on the small grassy material to the left of the image 

Porthkerry Southbya Location 2. (apologies for poor photo)

Porthkerry Location 3 (where we recorded 20 individual stands)


Porthkerry Location 3