Miscellaneous December mosses (and liverworts!)

Here are a few images of some interesting observations I've not found time to post about over the last few weeks of 2018:

A rubbishy record shot of Campylopus subulatus collected from a forest track at Gwaun Nant-y-bwch during an excursion with Charles on 11th Dec. This is just the third Glamorgan site.

Lopidium concinnum (Hypopterygiaceae) was the most conspicuous of four aliens noted on a Dicksonia antarctica 'trunk' in Swansea's Wyevale on 20th December. Heteroscyphus fissistipus was the only other species I managed to identify. All were recorded as live, although the exposed parts of the Lopidium shoots were dead/bleached.

On the same day I was at Wyevale, I did a quick check of the Kilvey Hill Cephaloziella calyculata colony, but failed to find anything resembling integerrima, the only only other Cephaloziella noted being divaricata. The colony was highly fertile, with male plants (photo) and gemmiferous shoots abundant (photo). Perianth development was, however, uniformly at a very rudimentary stage and well behind those of integerrima seen recently at Crofty. There are still plenty opportunities for exploring unsurveyed areas at this site - i.e. most of it!

The distinctively scented Lophozia bicrenata was found growing with Vezdaea retigera on mine spoil on Cadle Heath Common in Swansea on 21st Dec.

Lophozia ventricosa var. silvicola is occasional on Sphagnum papillosum on Cefn Bryn, 31st Dec. As reported by Sam in the Pembs Bryoflora, it seems this defunct, yet distinctive taxon is the default var. on Sphagnum in our area.

A good quantity of Marchantia polymorpha cf subsp. montivagans "Mountain Liverwort" was encountered mostly 'in stream' in a base-enriched runnel on Cefn Bryn, also on 31st Dec. The large thalli clearly lacked black midribs that characterise subsp. polymorpha, though were darkened a little, as shown by the example below, photographed in natural day light (it was almost dark by the time I got to this spot and to make things worst as I was walking back up the hill I realised I must have dropped my phone in the runnel - fortunately I did manage to find it before the light completely went, sitting amongst Montia in-stream, half soaked, but still working!). I failed to get to grips with the ventral scales of the Marchantia, but I will take another look before sending off a voucher for verification of this potential county first.

Campylopus subulatus

While going through some of the NPT forest road records in MapMate I noticed that there was a record of Campylopus fragilis for Nant y Cafn  attributed to H and me. After checking my vouchers I found a packet labelled 'Campylopus fragilis or Campylopus subulatus in calcareous grassy verge near forest track, Nany Cafn (23/4/17)'. Clearly I hadn't nailed this. So we went up to the site yesterday to collect some fresh specimens. The photo below (taken last April) shows the plants in situ. There is a very large population in the vicinity of SN81610756 which is very conspicuous and although on close inspection it is obviously a Campylopus, the colony has a bright yellowish-green colour which looks a bit like Ditrichum gracile from distance.

The plants are rather short-leaved and there is no tomentum. Deciduous shoot tips are abundant all over the colony.

The leaves have no auricles to speak of, there is a wide costa (at least 70% of leaf width at base) and the thin-walled basal cells are linear/rectangular. The alar cells are larger but not differentiated greatly fro the basal cells and not thick-walled and pigmented like those of Campylopus flexuosus.

A section of the costa shows the large adaxial cells which occupy about 35- 40% of costa thickness and the absence of stereid cells. The leaf tip has a few distinctive teeth.

 So, it looks like Campylopus subulatus, which is a nice record for NPT. However,  I see that Sam and Graham recorded it in the Nedd Fechan Valley a few years ago, so it is not new for VC41. Sam has also recorded it in Brechfa, although I'm not sure whether that is a forest road record.  I think it's worth keeping an eye open for this species which may be under recorded. The copious production of deciduous shoot tips suggests that it could spread easily along suitable forest tracks.
I'll amend the record in Map Mate.