1st vice-county records presumably referable to
this form:
*1: Newlyn Cliff, 1864,
WC (PNZ) (Paton 1969a:
742).
*2: Treliggon near
Lanivet, 1872, RVT (B) (Paton 1969a:
742).
Smith & Proctor (1993; revising Smith &
Hill 1975) and Garilleti et al. (2000) argued that U.
crispa
and U.
bruchii
should be regarded as distinct spp. They
can be distinguished with absolute reliability only using
rather subtle characters of capsule mouth areolation combined
with careful microscopic study (ideally SEM study) of
peristome ornamentation. This was carried out only for
occasional samples of Cornish specimens, but the results
indicated that few errors will have been involved in routinely
distinguishing U. bruchii from U. crispa s. str. during the
present study by shape of [moderately] old, empty capsules:
narrowest at mouth in U. bruchii, contracted
below mouth in U. crispa s. str. These differences in shape of mature but empty capsules
were used to separate the taxa by JAP in the 1960s. Since both
forms currently regarded as species are widespread inCornwall, older records are
therefore assigned to them even though a few errors may be
involved.
During the present study field determinations were
made only on completely dry plants; others were collected and
checked after they were dried. Most material in good condition
was readily assigned to a capsule shape category, and most of
that identified as U. bruchii was larger
and had the dried leaves less crisped than in U. crispa s. str. U. bruchii also tended
to have capsules maturing from autumn to spring, whereas most
capsules of U. crispa s. str. matured in
summer, although there appeared to be some overlap in seasons
in the autumn, and several records of 'out of season'
sporophytes of both species.
The U. crispa s. l. category is
reserved for published records assigned only to the group and
to recent records of plants lacking mature, empty capsules (or
with only very old ones). Several records referred only to U. crispa s. l. were of small
patches at coastal locations, from which both U. bruchii and Ulota crispa s. str. are usually
absent (e.g. small tuft c.fr. on Blackthorn on slope above
cliffs near Chynhalls Point).
Notes on habitats of U. crispa s. str in Cornwall are
as follows. Usually as epiphyte, growing in cushions or small
patches, on bark of trunks, branches and sometimes larger
twigs of variety of trees and shrubs, extending high above
ground in sheltered locations, occurring in woodland, scrub,
carr and groves of trees, or sometimes on isolated trees.
Frequent or numerous records from Ash, Grey Willow, Hazel,
Sessile Oak, Sycamore; few each on Alder, Beech, Blackthorn,
Bramble (dead stem in scrub), Turkey Oak. Occurs both in well
insolated and rather shady sites, including some inside Grey
Willow carrs or open woodland
that are well shaded in summer. One record of single cushion
on vertical, granitic rock of grave surround in old
churchyard, where sheltered but almost unshaded. Commonly
grows close to U. bruchii, often within
centimetres of it on same branch, or even touching it. Other
associates include Cryphaea heteromalla,
Frullania dilatata,
Microlejeunea
ulicina, Metzgeria
furcata, M. violacea, Orthotrichum affine,
Zygodon
conoideus.
Commonly c.fr. [only recorded when mature or old
capsules present]: capsules immature 1-12; dehiscing [1, 4]
5-12 (mainly 6-8 ??); dehisced [old 1-7],
6-12.
