There were some quite large and attractive clumps of
Leucobryum juniperoideum, which were deliberately included as part of the planting scheme in a glass jar planter, along with plants of
Tillandsia, at Wyevale today. There was no evidence on the label to indicate where this material came from, nor that it was harvested from a sustainable source. It's impossible to know whether this is just a one off chance inclusion, or whether
Leucobryum has been deliberately targeted by moss-gatherers, but the occurrence is a little worrying. Other similar jars seemed to be mostly filled with
Hypnum, so maybe this was just a one-off, but do keep an eye open if you happen to visit any Wyevale outlets.
Another item of bryological interest was a rather pricey Olive tree, which was reported to be 400 years old. Near the base of the trunk was some fruiting Barbula unguiculata and what looks like a non-fruiting Orthotrichum, though the growth form seems odd for this genus, so maybe it's a member of the Poticeae? Any suggestions welcome?
That's really intriguing, Barry. Leucobryum is on Annex 5 of the EU Habitats Regulations, and I have just drafted Wales' return for Article 17 reporting. I had no evidence of collecting in Wales for trade, despite a recent study of moss harvesting commissioned by NRW, and my GB equivalents also had no evidence of collecting Leucobryum. My understanding is that Leucobryum glaucum was formerly collected for use in car show rooms (and perhaps other displays), in continental Europe and perhaps SE England. If it's OK, I will add your observation to the Article 17 report, as it suggests there may be some wild harvesting of Leucobryum occurring. My impression is that much of the Sphagnum sold at GB garden centres is of southern hemisphere origin, and the NRW study suggested that most Wales-harvested moss was pleurocarpous species from forestry used for hanging baskets and wreaths. I might pop to my local Wyevale tomorrow!
ReplyDeleteYes, a bit worrying if it was deliberately planted in the pot. Having said that, L. juniperoideum does grow into large clumps very quickly from the small shoot propagules that mother plants shed continually.
ReplyDeleteYes, please do use this observation as you see fit.
ReplyDeleteI think I have seen more Sphagnum magellanicum in plastic bags in garden centres than I have in the wild in the whole of Wales. Cant recall seeing Leucobryum in garden centres though.
ReplyDeleteI believe that much of the garden centre Sphagnum is of southern hemisphere origin, hence the abundance of S magellanicum.
ReplyDeleteA quick check at my local Wyevale didn't reveal any bottle gardens.
We were back at Wyevale yesterday and i saw 3 bottles with Leucobryum juniperoideum
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