Distichium inclinatum

As I was driving home on the A470 this afternoon I remembered the population of Distichium inclinatum which Barry found in a cutting near the road in 2015. I pulled off at the Gethin Woodland Park roundabout for a look and there it was - easy to find on the flushed coal spoil, and fruiting nicely (albeit somewhat sparsely).

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)

Distichium inclinatum

Tried a bit of casual recording this weekend and took the opportunity to check on the D. inclinatum population on Baglan Dunes.

Distichium inclinatum colonies on Baglan Dunes

Plants with characteristic distichous leaf arrangement

I'm happy to report that this is a large, healthy population with hundreds of colonies. The habitat is entirely artificial, consisting of a large bed of limestone gravel. The other main colonist is Encalypta streptocarpa.

Limestone gravel bed habitat, Baglan Dunes (SS72589195)

D. inclinata has declined in, or disappeared from several coastal sites in Britain (including South Wales), so man made habitats like these, which are very easy to create, could be of great importance for this species. The site is easy to get to and you can't miss the plants. It's probably one of the biggest populations in South Wales. There is a similar, but much smaller population on limestone gravel in an open mosaic habitat on Baglan Energy Park.