Midland Naturalist/Volume 01/Moss Habitats
Moss Habitats.
By James E. Bagnall.
The habitats or natural homes of mosses are very varied. In fact mosses may be found everywhere in country districts, so that banks, trees, woods, fields, heath lands, walls, marshes, bogs, and other watery places all have their several massy inhabitants. Though in many instances mosses show some degree of preference for particular habitats, no positive line of demarcation can be drawn with regard to the habitats of some species. Ceratodon, for example, seems to be at home in every locality, whilst others, such as the Sphagnunms and many of the Orthotrichans, &c., are truly selective with regard to their haunts. Hence, I can only indicate the most likely mosses to be found in particular habitats. In many instances the same plants may be found flourishing in equal abundance in a variety of habitats. I have already mentioned Ceratodon purparens, as a moss to be found everywhere. It is abundant on heathy waysides and on old walls, thatched roofs, and even on trees it is no less plentiful.
Banks, whether sandy, marly, or calcareous, are the favourite haunts of many mosses, and if we examine a damp sandy bank between February and April we shall be almost sure to find the dark green silky masses of Dieranella heteronalla, easily known by its terminal fruitstalk, which is pale in colour and is abruptly bent back just below the capsule. The leaves will be found to be very narrow and all curved in one direction, and the capsule surmounted by a lid having a longish beak,[1] [Plate IV., fig. 13 a,] the peristome or fringe [Fig. 12 b] consists of sixteen teeth, each of which is split half way down.
In like places we shall also find Welssia controversa, which has straighter leaves, with the margins rolled over towards the upper surface, erect oval capsules, lid with a long straight beak, and a fringe of sixteen rudimentary teeth; when dry the leaves will be found to be much twisted. Smaller tufts of the apple moss, Bartramia pomiformis, may also be found, and may be known even when barren by its glaucous green foliage. The capsules of this moss are apple shaped, and surmounted by a slightly convex lid. The fruit ripens in early summer.
Hypnum prælongum will be frequently seen fruiting about November, but very often barren. In the barren state it may be known by its long trailing feathery stems, which, however, vary very much in habit. When in fruit it will be known by its long roughened fruit stalks, (which are lateral as in all Hypnums,) [Fig. 5 a,] curved capsules, and lid with a long curved beak, [Fig. 13 a,] the fringe is in two rows, an cuter one formed of sixteen teeth, and an inner palor membranous one, divided into sixteen tooth-like processes, Hypnum rutabutum, another of the feather mosses, is more robust, has heart-shaped leaves, roughened fruit-stalk, and a shorter conical lid. Hypnu velutinum is much smaller, and has narrower lance-shaped leaves, and is more velvety looking; whilst Hypnum confertum, which is constantly associated with the above, has a smooth fruit-stalk, and lid with a longish curved beak. Many other mosses will also usually be found in like habitats.
Marly and clayey banks will yield such mosses as Fissidens bryoides, a very beautiful little moss, known by its flattened foliage, with leaves on opposite sides of the stem, looking very fern-like, fruit-stalk arising from the top of the stem and surmounted by an erect reddish capsule, with a cone-shaped lid, and a fringe of sixteen bifid teeth. The fruit of this moss ripens from October to the end of the year. A larger species, Fissidens tarifolins, will frequently occur with this, but the fruit-stalks arises from the base of the stem, the capsule is somewhat curved, and has a longish beak, fruit ripe in November. A species similar to F. bryoides is also frequent in Warwickshire, this is readily distinguished from it by the capsule, which is curved to one side. This is Fissidens incurvus. This species ripens its fruit about February or March.
Another moss, frequent on banks such as I have described, is Tortula ungniculata. It may be known by its somewhat tongue-shaped leaves, terminated by a small munere or point, and having the margin recurved, or turned towards the lower surface: the fringe of the peristeme consists of thirty-two spirally twisted teeth. It fruits from December to April. A close ally, Tortala fallax, not infrequent, has leaves tapering from the base, a more curved capsule, and fringe also twisted. Another frequenter of marly banks is the minute Dieranella varia, which occurs in patches of a reddish green colony. It has narrowly lance-shaped nearly erect leaves. The capsule is small and slightly inclined to one side, and the conical lid has a very short beak; the fringe consists of sixteen deeply divided teeth. It fruits about November.
Tortula aloides and T. ambiges frequently occur together on marly and clayey banks. They are very closely alike, and can only be separated by careful examination of minute details, but may be known from other species occurring in like habitats by the short stem, dark green somewhat fleshy leaves, with the margins very much incurved. The capsule is cylindrical and erect in ambirm, and slightly inclined in aloides. The fringe is only slightly twisted.
On calcareous banks, such mosses as Pottiua carifolia may be sometimes found; this is a small species, having large concave leaves, often terminated by a whitish hair-like point. If the leaves be examined with a lens, some peculiar membranous processes will be seen attached to the veins of the upper surface. The capsule is egg-shaped, and the mouth has no fringe, or is naked, and the lid has a short inclined beak, Pottia truncata frequent on all sorts of banks, has a wide-mouthed capsule, and narrower leaves than the last-named variety, with no membranous processes on the upper surface. Pottia lenceolata is larger, and has a fringe of sixteen slightly perforated teeth. The leaves are spreading, somewhat oval-oblong in shape, and are terminated by a small green point. P. casifolia ripens its fruit in February, P. truncata about November, and P. lanceolata about May on sandy banks. Many other species may be found, Pagonratun eloides and P. xanwai, and (in elevated or sub-alpine districts) P. urnigerum, Dicranelle crispa. Maium stellare, Bryum annotiman, Hypnum sylvaticum, Phaseum subulatam, &c., while on clayey or calcareous banks, such mosses as Hypnum moltuscum, H. Swaertzii, H. luteseens, Weissia mucronata, Phasrum pateus, &c., will often be met with.
[To be continued.]
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- ↑ All the references in this article are to Plate IV., facing page 193.
This work was published before January 1, 1929, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
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