Another example of the remarkable colonising ability of
C. introflexus. I noticed a small patch of it near the office in Swansea yesterday, apparently growing directly out of the mortar on the shaded site of a stone wall. On closer inspection, it was growing on some well rotted organic material - probably an old rhizome of polypody or another fern.
In my experience George, the main problem in separating controversa from brachycarpa is the variability shown by controversa. If there is any hint of a peristome, it's controversa. Unfortunately it doesn't always have one. In that case you have to look for the presence or absence of positive brachycarpa characteristics. The main one is the presence of an epiphragm. Simply seeing a hole at the top of the dehisced capsule doesn't mean it's brachycarpa. In fact, if it is a large hole, then it's probably controversa. Because brachycarpa has an epiphragm, the hole is almost like a pin hole in a membrane. If you have fresh material with young capsules, then you can leave them in a dry place for a few days and wait until most of the capsules have dehisced. You can also try dissecting the capsules. Either way, if there's an epiphragm you'll see it.
ReplyDeleteI've often ending up with specimens labelled with question marks awaiting id.