Hirwaun old ironworks

Yesterday I had a quick look at the old iron works site at SN955058 as it was close to a site I was working at. There was a baffling mix of calcicole and califuge species (list below), all growing together side-by-side on the same lumps of slag, so I assume this material has highly varied chemical properties? Probably worth a closer inspection, although the total of 122 taxa in SN90M is pretty respectable.

Amblystegium serpens var. serpens (capsules)

Atrichum undulatum var. undulatum (capsules)

Bryum capillare (capsules)
Campyliadelphus chrysophyllus

Campylopus introflexus (capsules)

Ceratodon purpureus (capsules)

Ctenidium molluscum var. molluscum

Dicranum scoparium (capsules)

Didymodon fallax

Didymodon insulanus

Didymodon rigidulus

Encalypta streptocarpa

Fissidens dubius

Grimmia pulvinata (capsules)

Gymnostomum aeruginosum

Homalothecium sericeum

Hypnum cupressiforme var. cupressiforme

Lophozia excisa (perianths & gemmae)

Plagiochila porelloides

Polytrichum piliferum

Pseudocrossidium hornschuchianum

Pseudocrossidium revolutum (capsules)

Ptychomitrium polyphyllum (capsules)

Racomitrium ericoides

Rhynchostegium confertum (capsules)

Scapania aspera

Scapania compacta

Schistidium crassipilum (capsules)

Tortula muralis (capsules)

Zygodon viridissimus var. viridissimus

Ptilidium ciliare on coal tips

The distribution of this attractive liverwort in Glamorgan is slowly unravelling. Its appearance in natural and semi-natural habitats is rather sporadic, but it seems to be an almost constant component of broken swards on older coal tips. Yesterday I made a pit stop and Ffos y Fran to add some records to SO00S & SO00T and found it in both, though P.c. was only new for the latter. Other typical species of these pseudo-CG1 tip communities [have you ever NVC'd these communities Sam?] noted included Filago minima, Festuca ovina, Carlina vulgaris, Thymus polytrichus, Cladonia spp., Pilosella officinarum, Racomitrium lanuginosum, R. ericoides, Polytrichum piliferum, Hypnum cupressiforme var. lacunosum, etc. Good to see a couple of pairs of Lapwings with well-grown chicks there too.

 

 

Hedwigia striata refound in Eryri (Snowdonia)

Until the 1990s, British Hedwigia were pretty easy to identify: if they had hairpoints they were H. ciliata and if hairpoints were absent they were H. integrifolia.  Lars Hedenas revised the genus in northern Europe in 1994, leaving Britain with four taxa: the common one turned out to be H. stellata (below left), the much rarer H. ciliata had two varieties here, and H. integrifolia stayed the same (but subsequently changed genus to Hedwigidium).  Roll on to 2010, and Portuguese researchers published good evidence that there is an additional species in western Europe: Hedwigia striata (below right).  This has turned out to be relatively widespread in Portugal, but intriguingly it was described new to science by Warrington bryologist William Wilson with an 1829 Type Specimen from Llyn Idwal in north Wales.

Hedwigia striata was an obvious target for last week's British Bryological Society meeting in Eryri (see #EryriMosses on Twitter for other finds made during the week).  We marched past Llyn Idwal on our way to Llyn y Cwn and didn't see any Hedwigia, but a search of lakeside boulders along the lake's north shore in 2013 had failed to reveal anything other than the common H. stellata anyway (a search of the south shore could be worthwhile).  Groups also checked for Hedwigia at Llyn Bochllwyd and Llyn y Cwn in the Glyderau, and at Ffynnon Llyffant and Llyn Crafnant in the Carneddau, but the only place with anything different was Ffynnon Lloer (below) in the SW Carneddau.

Ray Woods had collected Hedwigia "ciliata sensu stricto" from there a few years ago, before H. striata had been resurrected, so we had high hopes that this natural, un-dammed lake might have good rocks.  Sure enough, Barry Stewart found a short-pointed Hedwigia on the first rock we checked, and subsequent searching on the south shore produced at least 3 more colonies along with Bryum muehlenbeckii, whilst a 4th was found growing alongside Pterigynandrum filiforme on a rock on the north shore.  We assumed this was Ray's H. ciliata, but I started to get excited when I noticed that all of the dry leaves had very obvious striations/pliccations along their length.  All four colonies we found showed this feature, and subsequent microscope checking confirmed that this really was H. striata, rediscovered in Eryri 196 years after the last record and on a new lake (it may well have gone from Llyn Idwal because that lake has been modified somewhat by a dam).  An additional feature mentioned in Flora Briofitica Iberica is the presence of long papillae on the basal leaf margin, and the Ffynnon Lloer plant shows these even more prominently than the FBI illustrations!

My next task is to revisit other British specimens of Hedwigia ciliata from upland lakes and other habitats, particularly some I collected from Llyn Gafr on Cadair Idris a couple of years ago (specimen in BBSUK).  This is an outstandingly interesting habitat with plenty of rare and scarce species, but one that has been rather under-valued bryologically in Wales.  In recent years bryologists have recorded the following by Welsh mountain lakes: Bryum muehlenbeckii (Nationally Scarce), Grimmia anomala (Nationally Rare), Grimmia muehlenbeckii/austrofunalis (Nationally Scarce, please don't flame me for sitting on the fence with taxonomy), Grimmia ramondii, Odontoschisma elongatum (Nationally Scarce), Orthotrichum rupestre, Pterigynandrum filiforme (Nationally Scarce), Racomitrium macounii (Nationally Scarce), Schistidium agassizii (Nationally Scarce) and probable Schistidium trichodon (Nationally Scarce).  Interestingly, most of these have only been found on un-dammed, natural lakes and most are present on fewer than 5 rocks on any lake.

I know this blog is called "South Wales Bryophytes" and this moss is in North Wales but two regular contributors (Barry and me) were involved in the search!  Barry has some much better photos of the leaf striations, which I hope he might add to this posting. [The dry and wet images added below are the best I have demonstrating the plicate leaves - BS]

[Two more photos of the small sample I brought home provide better resolution - BS]

Ulota calvescens, at last

I finally joined the calvescens club today. After looking for this species a few times in Cardiff in late winter, the usual thing happened - I chanced across it while doing something different. I wasn't even looking at bryos while surveying Marsh Fritillaries at Nany y Crimp SSSI (north of M4 J47) today, but this large tuft on a dead willow stem was so striking that it was unmissable.

As often happens, I'd been wondering if I was overlooking it (among other Ulota), but having seen the real thing I'm pretty sure I haven't seen it until now (unless it is not usually so striking).

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!