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Post by faith on Sept 20, 2015 14:01:03 GMT
Here is the moss to be identified (considerably magnified). But luckily, Vince (Stig) has already identified it, so I was able to work backwards through the key (!). The second piece of luck was that the sequence was extremely short and all on one page, as you will see. The first problem was to decide whether it was a moss or a liverwort. It had every appearance of a liverwort, and in fact Watson – who is to mosses what Stace is to vascular plants – uses it as his sole example of how a moss might just possibly be mistaken for a liverwort. But the clue is in the fact that the leaves are not arranged in two clear-cut rows. As you can see here, there is a sort of overlappingness in which there seems to be part of a row in the middle. Leafy liverworts (I am told) will always have the leaves in two distinct rows. So we go to the key for mosses. I hope you can read this – it wouldn't take anything bigger. Digest this; next instalment in next post.  moss more blown up by Wabi Gallery, on Flickr  Moss key 1a by Wabi Gallery, on Flickr |
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Post by faith on Sept 20, 2015 14:28:19 GMT
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Post by stigofthedump on Sept 21, 2015 8:13:49 GMT
Looking forward to this Faith. Hopefully one of many. One positive thing with bryophytes is that they can be studied throughout the year. I will admit they can be daunting at first but they do get less difficult with practice. And we desperatly need more bryologists 
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Post by faith on Sept 22, 2015 8:44:03 GMT
So from this first page in the key in the British Bryological Society's field guide, from couplet 1 we choose 'Plant with distinct leaves'.This takes us to couplet 2 where we decide (after much humming and hawing in my case) that the leaves are not 'arranged strictly in 2 or 3 ranks' as there is a sort of indeterminate third rank. So it is a moss, not a liverwort, and we go to couplet 3. Here, with any luck, most of us will recognise that it is not a sphagnum so we go to couplet 4. (N.B. see StigoftheDump's link to the online version of this field guide in the original thread about mosses.) The mosses divide here into Acrocarps and Pleurocarps. Don't ask me what the technical difference is (though the word formations seem to give come clues), but the Acrocarps look like separate upright shoots without much branching, whereas the Pleurocarps are more prostrate and branching. You can't see that so well in this detail, but in the original picture in the previous thread you see more clearly that this is the latter. So we turn to page 50, couplet 285. Now it's your turn again.  moss key 2a by Wabi Gallery, on Flickr |
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Post by John Pappus on Sept 23, 2015 1:01:00 GMT
This is a very interesting post, thanks for posting. There's a downloadable key at the site, Bryophyte Field KeyThese are fascinating and as mentioned will be great to look at during winter too.  |
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Post by faith on Sept 23, 2015 7:54:10 GMT
Thanks for the link, John.
I think I ought to refuse to carry on with the next post until someone has had a stab at going through this key and coming up with an answer, however tentative . . . (Just in case you didn't realise, you need to click on the key pages, so that they are large enough to read.) If you are an expert and know perfectly well what it is, just give a clue or something.
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Post by stigofthedump on Sept 23, 2015 9:47:28 GMT
Hi all. Couplet 285 is asking us to take a look at all the leaves and if any of them end in a white (or almost so ) hair point. As per attachment. ( We should be ignoring the shape of the leaf tip, we are just looking for the hair point at this point) If so we should go to 115, p 33. If not we should proceed to number 286. Vince  image by Wabi Gallery, on Flickr |
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Post by faith on Sept 23, 2015 12:22:21 GMT
Thanks Vince – keep up the good work with the photos!
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Post by faith on Sept 23, 2015 16:40:10 GMT
If there have been 106 (at last count) views of this thread, then some people besides me, Vince and John must have been looking at it. So where are you? Speak up! Even if it's only to say 'This is too difficult/easy for me'. Encouragement is needed to continue with these things.
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Post by stigofthedump on Sept 23, 2015 17:09:34 GMT
Im afraid you have just found out why we as a country have such a poor record of our bryophyte flora Faith.
It puzzles me why we seem to shun study of this fantastic group of plants.
It is a pitty because they make such rewarding study.
Vince
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Post by faith on Sept 23, 2015 18:10:46 GMT
But people seem to be viewing the thread, they must just be too apprehensive of joining in, thinking it is too difficult. That's my thought, anyway. Please tell, you other members of WABi!
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Post by John Pappus on Sept 23, 2015 18:30:43 GMT
Im afraid you have just found out why we as a country have such a poor record of our bryophyte flora Faith. It puzzles me why we seem to shun study of this fantastic group of plants. It is a pitty because they make such rewarding study. Vince I agree, they're a fascinating group, Bryophytes as a whole. I've no real experience of them but I've just dug out my old copy (charity-shop in Hawes, Wensleydale) of Watson's super book, 2nd ed, 1968... Look what you've done - now I'm going to have to have a look through and see what I can discover! They're so accessible too - It's great to see this subject appear, looking forward to more. I'll have a go too as soon as I get a chance, I'm looking at the root-structure of Sonchus.asper at the moment - simply fascinating.. Great thread - thanks Vince & Faith, this is what I call fun!  |
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Post by John Pappus on Sept 23, 2015 22:41:43 GMT
Hmm, doesn't appear to have the white tip? Do we go on to 286?
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Post by faith on Sept 24, 2015 8:24:13 GMT
Yes, you do.
The white tips are usually fairly obvious. For example, Racomitrium – said to be the one moss that all serious botanists know! – is one you see up on rocky hills and mountains (and I have also seen it on walls quite low down) in grey-looking cushions. Grimmia (several species) also have the white points that give an overall slightly greyish tinge and also tend to come in cushions on rocks and walls, all over the place. These two genera, as you see from the key, are in fact Acrocarps.
However, these are only my very amateur observations, I imagine Vince would have a lot more to say on the subject, and I am only too happy to stand corrected if necessary!
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