*1: Sunset, Kea near
Truro, 1840, EAW
(TRU) (Paton 1969a:
710).
*2: Withiel, 1867, RVT
(B) (Paton 1969a: 710).
Var. gracilisetum Besch. is
a rare plant with no modern British records and none of any
age from SW. England (Hill et al. 2008). Fertile
plants of that var. should be distinctive because of the
yellowish (not reddish) seta and straight or slightly curved
(not curved) capsules, but plants without sporophytes are
reported to differ only in the paroicous (rather than usually
autoicous) sexuality (Smith 2004: 136) so they would normally
be overlooked. Nevertheless, since fertile plants of var. undulatum are common
in Cornwall it is probably a safe assumption that all or
nearly all of our records can be referred to this
taxon.
Grows as patches which may extend to form low
lawns. On soil, typically more or less acidic and clayey or
loamy, e.g. in short grassland (such as on or near graves or
on banks, e.g. in churchyards or cemeteries), woodland
(deciduous and conifer, e.g. on banks, path-sides, or
colonising soil among roots of wind-thrown Beeches), groves of
trees, Grey Willow carrs, scrub, on hedge-banks, in gardens,
in quarries, on old mine-areas (but only where not heavily
copper-contaminated), on banks or flat ground in and around
working china-clay quarries, on roadside banks and river and
stream banks. Occurs in full sunlight and in moderate to
fairly heavy shade. Apparently avoids both very dry and very
wet sites. Occurs above cliffs, but not in sites exposed to
much salt spray. Associates often include Brachythecium
rutabulum, Kindbergia praelonga,
Mnium hornum. Many
others recorded include Campylopus pyriformis,
Cephalozia
bicuspidata, Gymnocolea inflata, Solenostoma
gracillimum, Lophozia incisa, Pohlia camptotrachela,
Riccardia
latifrons, Riccardia multifida.
Less typical sites seen on drying mud of small stream in wet
heath (Ventongimps); soil or old mortar in crevices of
mortared-stone wall; on soil in plant-pots in nursery
(Burncoose); on soil in sheltered bulb-field near coast
(Mousehole); young plants on soil in arable (cereal stubble)
field.
Commonly c.fr.: capsules immature 1, 2 (3), 7-12;
dehiscing 1-3 (4), 11, 12; dehisced 1-9 [10],
11.
