Meeting report
The British Bryological Society held its Annual Meeting and Excursion at Llangollen, Denbighshire, from August 27 to September 3, 1938. Mr. J. B. Duncan, President and Treasurer, Miss E. Armitage, Vice-President, Mr. A. Thompson, Secretary, Mr. W. R. Sherrin, Librarian, and upwards of 25 members and friends were present, including a distinguished American bryologist, Dr. Winona H. Welch, of De Pauw University, Indiana, U.S.A., who was visiting the principal European Herbaria to further her work of monographing the Fontinalaceae of Europe and America.
The rambles were principally in the County of Denbigh (v.c. 50), but Montgomeryshire (v.c. 47), Merionethshire (v.c. 48), and Shropshire (v.c. 40) were also visited. Many mosses and hepatics were met with, but save in Sphagna not many new records were made, as, except in v.c. 47, the ground had been thoroughly worked by such veterans as S. J. Owen, T. Barker, and D. A. Jones.
The first afternoon was spent exploring the rocky bed of the Dee near Llangollen, where, owing to the lowness of the river, access was gained to rocks which are usually submerged, where Madotheca porella was found, and on dry rocks Grimmia leucophaea.
Next day there was a long excursion in cars through Chirk and Llan Rhaiadr, where we were indebted to Dr. H. Hamshaw Thomas for acting as our guide. The long narrow valley ends in the high falls of Pistyll Rhaiadr. A large volume of peat-brown water falls over an imposing rock-wall and is spanned by a natural arch of rock. The stream here divides the Counties of Denbigh and Montgomery. Then we drove by Llangunog up the Tanat Valley, which has recently been made accessible by a fine road to the top of the pass. Here is a grand view of Snowdonia, with masses of purple heath and golden tussocks of Ulex gallii in the foreground. This area, with a rocky stream and gorge should yield bryophytes of interest if a long day could he spent there.
On Tuesday the Llangollen district was farther explored, up the long wooded valley to “World’s End.” On the left are Ordovician rocks, and the fine limestone escarpment of the Eglwyseg Rocks is on the right. Wednesday was spent beyond Llanarmon up Swch-cae-Rhiw, along a steep bracken-clad valley to the fine rocky gorge of the Ceiriog Falls. On Thursday we had a long drive beyond Bala, climbing up to the high pass of Bwlch-y-Groes (1,750 ft.); the road was rough and narrow, with much loose scree. Having reached the small plateau we explored the extensive boggy moor-land with rough peat bogs, under the great bulk of Aran Mawddwy, nearly 3,000 ft.; this hid Snowdon from us, but we had a grand view from the Arenigs to Plinlimmon.
Excursions on the last day, Sept. 2, included one to Tal-y-llyn Lake (v.c. 48) and another to Whixall Moss (v.c. 40), an extensive bog, which has become drier of late years owing to drain-cutting and peat removal.
The Annual Meeting was held on Tuesday, August 30th. Miss E. Armitage succeeds Mr. J. B. Duncan as President in 1939. Mr. W. R. Sherrin was elected Vice-President. Mr. C. V. B. Marquand succeeds Dr. L. B. C. Trotter, who has given several years’ much-appreciated service as Bibliographer. Mr. A. Thompson continues as Secretary. It is proposed to hold the 1939 Meeting at Fort William in June.
The List of Sphagna is collated by Mr. A. Thompson.
SPHAGNA.
The specimens of Sphagna collected during the excursion were poor and small and the number of species and varieties noted rather few.
The following are all new vice-county records:-
- fimbriatum var. validus, Ceiriog Ddu (50); var. intermedium, Whixall Moss (40).
S. girgensohnii var. microcephalum, Tanat Valley (47).
S. warnstorfii, Ceiriog Ddu (50).
S. rubellum, Cyrn-y-Brain (50).
S. squarrosum var. subsquarrosum, Tanat Valley (47).
S. teres var. subteres, Ceiriog Ddu (50).
S. amblyphyllum var. macrophyllum, Tanat Valley (47); Bwlch-y-groes (48); Ceiriog Ddu (50);
var. mesophyllum, Bwlch-y-groes (47); Ceiriog Ddu (50).
S. pulchrum, near Bwlch-y-groes (47); Cyrn-y-Brain and Ceiriog Ddu (50).
S. recurvum var. majus, Tanat Valley (47);
var. robustum, Ceiriog Ddu (50).
S. fallax var. laxifolium, Tanat Valley (47).
S. cuspidatum var. falcatum, Whixall Moss (40); Bwlch-y-groes (47) ;
var. submersum, Whixall Moss (40);
var. plumosum, Whixall Moss (40).
S. subsecundum var. intermedium, Ceiriog Ddu (50).
S. inundatum var. robustum, Ceiriog Ddu (50) ;
var. eurycladum, Ceiriog Ddu (50); S. of Bwlch-y-groes (47) ;
var. densum, Tanat Valley (47).
var. lancifolium, south of Bwlch-y-groes (47); Cyrn-y-Brain and Ceiriog Ddu (50);
var. diversifolium, Pistyll Rhaiadr (47).
S. auriculatum var. ovatum, south of Bwlch-y-groes (47); Cyrn-y-Brain (50) ;
var. laxifolium, south of Bwlch-y-groes (47); Bwlch-y-groes (48);
var. canovirescens, Pistyll Rhaiadr (47);
var. submersum, Pistyll Rhaiadr (47).
S. crassicladum, Ceiriog Ddu (50).
S. contortum, Tanat Valley (47).
S. papillosum var. normale, Whixall Moss (40); Tanat Valley (47);
var. sublaeve, Whixall Moss (40).
TRUE MOSSES*
Andreaea petrophila and rothii, 50. Oligotrichum hercynicum, 47. Polytrichum urnigerum, 47; P. strictum, 40*, 47*, 48; P. formosum, 50. Pleuridium axillare, 48, 50. Rhabdoweisia fugax, 50, and R. denticulata, 50. Cynodontium bruntoni, 47*, 50. Dichodontium flavescens, 50. Dicranella cerviculata, 40; D. rufescens, 50; D. squarrosa, 47, 50. Dicranum fuscescens, 47*. Campylopus atrovirens, 47. Fissidens decipiens, 50. Grimmia trichophylla, 50; G. hartmani, 50; G. retracta, 50; G. doniana, 47; G. commutata, 50; G. leucophaea, 50. Rhacomitrium protensum, 47. Weisia rupestris, 50. Trichostomum crispulum, 50; T. mutabile, 50, and var. cophocarpum, 50; T. tenuirostre, 50, var. holtii, 50*; T. tortuosum, 50. Zygodon mougeotii, 50. Funaria ericetorum and F. templetoni, 47. Webera annotina var. erecta, 47*, 50*. Bryum filiforme, 47*. B. alpinum, 47, var. viride, 50. Mnium serratum, 50, and M. cinclidioides, 48. Neckera crispa var. falcata, 50. Pterogonium gracile, 50. Heterocladium heteropterum, 47, 50, var. fallax, 50. Orthothecium intricatum, 50. Hyocomium flagellare, 50. Eurhynchium myosuroides var. rivulare, 47, 50. Plagiothecium elegans, 47. Amblystegium irriguum, 50. Hypnum patientiae, 50. H. ochraceum, 47, 50.
HEPATICS
Aneura pinguis var. angustior, 50*. Metzgeria pubescens, 50. Marsupella pearsoni, 48; M. aquatica, 47*, 48. Alicularia compressa, 47*, and A. scalaris var. procerior, 47*. Eucalyx obovatus, 47*. Aplozia cordifolia, 47*, 50. Lophozia ventricosa, 48, 50; L. incisa, 48, 50; L. quinquedentata, 50; L. floerkii, 47, 50. Plagiochila asplenioides var. minor forma laxa, 50. Leptoscyphus taylori, 48; L. anomalus, 40*, 48. Chiloscyphus polyanthus, 50. Saccogyna viticulosa, 50*. Cephalozia connivens, 40. Nowellia curvifolia, 50. Cephaloziella starkii, 50. Odontoschisma sphagni, 48. Lepidozia reptans, 47, 48, 50. L. pearsoni, 50. Ptilidium ciliare, 47, 50. Scapania aspera, 50; S. nemorosa, 47*; S. dentata, 47*, var. ambigua, 47*, 50*; S. intermedia, 47*; S. undulata, 47; S. irrigua, 50. Madotheca porella, 50. Cololejeunea calcarea, 50. Lejeunea patens, 50.
* Only plants of some interest are included, new V.C. records are starred.
Eleonora Armitage