*1: Newlyn Cliffs,
1866, WC (PNZ) (Paton 1969a:
715).
*2: Trebetherick, St
Minver, 1879, RVT (B) (Paton 1969a:
715).
Habitat notes from C&S are as follows. Occurs
mainly on mineral soils (sandy, loamy, silty or clayey) in
wide range of situations, on substrates varying from basic to
acidic and growing mainly in open but sometimes where
moderately shaded (e.g. on woodland rides or in crevices of
old walls). As a colonist of disturbed soil in arable fields
(cereals and their stubbles, flax, brassicas, where frequent
but not often abundant), gardens, soil heaps, churchyards,
quarries, sea-cliffs, on stream, river, pond and other banks,
ditch sides, and bare patches in pastures and other
grasslands, roadsides, and on and beside tracks and paths.
Fewer records from dune-grassland (in entrance to rabbit
burrow), dune slacks, dried mud of pool and in reservoir
inundation- zones. Often abundant and forming large pure
stands on clayey, silty or sandy lithosols on old copper-mine
spoil and on banks of streams draining old mine areas, where
it evidently withstands significant copper concentrations.
Occurs locally as colonist on apparently acidic clay of banks
around working china clay quarries and on open disturbed
ground in granite quarries. Frequently also in evidently basic
places on old or decaying mortar of walls, thin soil over old
concrete, in crevices of concrete. Among a long list of
associates, species frequently recorded include Barbula convoluta, Barbula unguiculata,
Bryum argenteum, Bryum dichotomum, Bryum rubens, Bryum radiculosum, Didymodon fallax, Didymodon
ferruginascens, Didymodon insulanus,
Didymodon
tophaceus, Pleuridium acuminatum,
Pohlia annotina, Phascum cuspidatum;
less common associates include Aloina aloides, Cephaloziella
stellulifera, Dicranella
schreberiana, Dicranella staphylina,
Pohlia andalusica,
Pohlia melanodon,
Riccardia
chamedryfolia. Inexplicably rare in Scilly, where only
record is from plant pot in garden.
Two gatherings made of unusual form with purple
rhizoids (DTH 94-233, 97-244); another of a
form with blunt leaves having strongly recurved margins
(DTH 95-499).
Rhizoidal tubers occur, but frequency unknown.
Frequently c.fr.: capsules immature 1-3, 10-12; dehiscing 1-3;
dehisced 2-5, 7.
