Photo
by Dr M Lueth ©.
*1: Trevaylor,Penzance, 1844, AG (PNZ) (Greenwood 1844, Paton 1969a:
715).
*2: Tresillian, 1861, ES (TRU) (Stackhouse
1865, Paton 1969a: 715).
Common and often forming extensive patches on dry
or intermittently dry, acidic mineral or peaty soils,
especially on open humic, sandy, rocky or gravelly ground,
less often in damp places (but occasionally even in marshes).
Mainly absent from base-rich substrates such as the calcareous
sand of many duneland areas, but occurs on acidic dunes in
Isles of Scilly. Often common in eutrophicated sites such as
on tracks frequented by sheep or near dung-mounds of rabbits
on heathland. Commonest in unshaded places, but also frequent
in light shade and sometimes occurring in small amounts in
moderately heavy shade in woodland. Occurs in wide range of
habitat types, e.g. on and beside paths and tracks, on banks
and slopes, in barer patches of heathland or grasslands,
woodland rides and clearings, among rocks, in quarries, on
metalliferous mine-spoil, china clay waste, tops and slopes of
sea-cliffs, tops of 'hedges', soil on walls, and colonising
soil heaps, roadsides, graves, gardens, plant pots and (mainly
in small amounts) arable land (seen in stubble, bulb and other
horticultural fields, but mostly rather uncommon in arable
fields), on rocks in flood-zones of rivers and reservoir edges
exposed as water-level falls.
A very wide range of associates includes almost all
bryophytes and small phanerogams of dry acidic to
circumneutral ground that is not heavily shaded, the following
being among the more frequent: Barbula convoluta, Barbula unguiculata,
Bryum argenteum, Bryum dichotomum, Bryum capillare, Bryum rubens, Bryum subapiculatum,
Campylopus
introflexus, Didymodon insulanus,
Trichodon
cylindricus, Nardia
scalaris, Pleuridium
acuminatum, Pohlia
annotina, Polytrichum
juniperinum, Pseudocrossidium
hornschuchianum, Tortula truncata, Cladonia spp.; on
damper acidic soil with Cephaloziella
hampeana, Fossombronia incurva;
on the coast often with Archidium
alternifolium, also recorded with Acaulon muticum, Anthoceros punctatus,
Bryum dichotomum,
Epipterygium
tozeri, Riccia
sorocarpa, Scleropodium touretii;
on copper-mine spoil its associates often include Cephaloziella
stellulifera, Dicranella varia, Gymnocolea inflata, Solenostoma
gracillimum and Scapania compacta, but
although often near Cephaloziella
massalongi and Cephaloziella
nicholsonii, it does not occur directly on the most
heavily copper-contaminated substrates; on wood of old fence
with Dicranoweisia
cirrata.
Common on thin soil over rocks, but not infrequent
also on mainly soft or crumbling surfaces of acidic rock where
little or no soil has accumulated, including slaty rocks,
granitic boulders and crevices of serpentinite on open
heathland. Occurs locally over old concrete, usually among
other mosses, and mainly avoids direct contact with basic
substrates. Also recorded on 'soil' accumulated in guttering
of house-roof and on thin sandy soil over logs of footbridge.
Frequent also as colonist of old tarmac on paths and in centre
and at edges of lanes, which may be virtually its only
substrate in some base-rich districts.
Frequently recorded in small amounts on unshaded
decorticated wood, both natural (e.g. on tree trunk in open,
on old stump) and artificial (e.g. rotting and burnt timbers
lying on old mine-spoil, old fences, gates and posts, moist
rotting timbers of old shed, in crevice of wooden 'sleeper' of
disused railway); sometimes associated with Dicranoweisia cirrata
when on wood. Unusual as epiphyte in Cornwall,
but single records on horizontal Grey Willow trunk near ground
in edge of carr and on fallen dead Sycamore branch. Occasional
records also from artificial substrates, including rotting
vinyl of discarded car seat and an old, rotting carpet. Once
on a small old bone lying in quarry.
Commonly c.fr.: capsules immature 1-6 [7 one, 8 few
abortive], 10-12; dehiscing 5-7 (generally well synchronised);
dehisced 6-12 (1 old).
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