Common Woodland Bryophytes

Woodlands are often quite diverse, however they may be predictable in that most woods share many species. Becoming familiar with the common woodland species will allow bryologists to distinguish between different types of woodland, woodland quality and allow for the identification of rarer species.

These are the commonest bryophytes in most lowland woodlands in my experience. Woodland to the north and west of the UK will have some different common species but here I will limit the list to those in English woods as I am more experienced in these habitats. Note: I will make a separate post about rotting wood and woodland streams.

Epiphytes (mosses and liverworts on trees).

Pleurocarpous mosses:
(these ones are often on trunks and branches)

Hypnum cupressiforme (var. cupressiforme)
Hypnum andoi
Hypnum (cupressiforme var.) resupinatum
Cryphaea heteromalla
Isothecium myosuroides
Brachythecium rutabulum (mostly on tree bases)
Rhynchostegium confertum

Acrocarpous mosses:

Orthotrichum affine
Ulota bruchii / crispa agg.
Zygodon conoideus / viridissimus

Liverworts:

Frullania dilatata
Metzgeria furcata
Metzgeria violacea

Species on Soil.

Big, showy mosses that may be near paths or rides (more of them will be present in larger, older woods):

Atrichum undulatum
Polytrichastrum formosum
Polytrichum commune (boggy or upland woods)
(above three are all in the same family and may look similar).
Dicranum scoparium

(below are big pleurocarps. Some grassland species might also be present along paths. The rarer species are at the bottom of the list)

Thuidium tamariscinum
Pseudoscleropodium purum
Rhytidiadelphus loreus & R. squarrosus
Eurhynchium striatum
Pleurozium schreberi (commoner in the north and west of the UK)
Hylocomium splendens (commoner in the north and west of the UK)

Smaller mosses, usually on banks:

Dicranella heteromalla
Fissidens taxifolius

This list is by no means exhaustive and you will find species not listed here. This list merely puts together some of the commonest bryophytes one might come across in a wood and it may be useful for a beginner to compare their finds to photographs of these when looking for a tentative ID.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or if I have left anything obvious off the list.

Publicado el febrero 1, 2020 02:21 TARDE por