Worcestershire Record No. 17 November 2004 pp. 52-53

Tessa Carrick

The first nine months of 2004 have resulted in an unusually large number of new Worcestershire records. This is partly because the Spring Meeting of the British Bryological Society was held in the county. There have also been some interesting records of reproducing bryophytes this year.

Of these species, particularly noteworthy are Ephemerum cohaerens (classed as critically endangered) and Weissia squarrosa (a BAP and Endangered species) which was found in a relatively species-rich field.

It has also been interesting to refind the strange and rare Buxbaumia aphylla (first found in 2002 by Joy Ricketts) and also Hedwigia ciliata (first found by Lorna Fraser in 2000) on the Malverns. On British Camp several rabbit holes containing the luminous Schistostega pennata were found during the BBS meeting. Cinclidotus riparius, an aquatic rarity found in very few places and classed as vulnerable, was rerecorded from the River Teme, this time at Stanford Bridge.

Platygyrium repens was refound in Wissetts Wood where it had been spotted by Mark Lawley the year before. This time it was fruiting abundantly and also included male shoots. When the specimen was submitted to Fred Rumsey of the British Museum (Natural History) to confirm identification, he commented, “I’ve seen it fruiting twice by the River Wye in VCs 35 and 36, i.e. either side of the river, and” someone else “told me he found capsules on it in Wych Wood (not verified)… otherwise, yours is the only other fruiting record.”

Two recent discoveries have yet to be verified, but we are confident that they have been correctly identified. Octodiceras fontanum, described as rare by Smith, was found by Harry Green and Bert Reid in the Avon. It is related to the species of Fissidens, having pockets on the leaves, but the leaves are much larger and laxer than in Fissidens. This is a de-bracketing of a species not officially recorded since 1950. Mark Lawley found Hennediella heimii at the Flashes, Upton Warren. This species is described as coastal, “very rare inland.” Again it was a debracketing.

In addition to the new finds, numerous sites have been visited this year, thus greatly improving our records for the county. Thanks go to the BBS and to all those who have contributed. In the past few years Worcestershire has become known as one of the counties in which recording is being actively pursued – this after a dearth of recording for most of last century.

During September the long-awaited Second Edition of A.J.E.Smith’s The Moss Flora of Britain and Ireland (Cambridge) was published. It is expensive but already several editorial and cross-referencing errors have come to light. However, it’s indispensable for anyone wanting to identify mosses. There are many changes in taxonomy and an increase of 70 species bringing the total British moss flora to 763. The book includes recommended new nomenclature. For instance, the very familiar species Eurhynchium praelongum is now known as Kindbergia praelonga, the only British species in the genus. Polytrichum formosum has become Polytrichastrum formosum whereas the similar species Polytrichum commune remains unchanged.

If you record any mosses in the field, please notify our county Moss Recorder Ann Hill on Ann@GAEHill.f9.co.uk In the past some rare species have been recorded without the County Recorder being notified. If you think a species is new to the county or if it is not in the Census Catalogue please arrange to send Ann a dried specimen, unless the species is very sparse or on the Red List. Preferably include fruiting bodies and label the specimen clearly with Grid Reference, location and habitat, date, recorder, etc. You can find an up-to-date version of the Census Catalogue, the list of endangered species and the addresses of county recorders on the easily-used web-site of the BBS (www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk). Ann will have the record verified and, if accepted, it will be added to the county list officially. Ann will also submit the record to the Worcestershire Biological Record Centre. In the WBRC there are records for species that have not been officially verified for VC37 because recorders have not understood the procedure. One example is Octidiceras fontanum which has been entered in the WBRC records since 1950, but, because it was not officially verified, it is not in the Census Catalogue, the official list recognized by the British Bryological Society. Any species not in the official list cannot be accepted as part of the Worcestershire bryoflora. We want to avoid repeating this situation in the future.