Annual meeting 1963: Swansea

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4 April 1963 - 9 April 1963

Meeting report

The 1963 Spring meeting of the Society was held at Langland Bay, Swansea, and was the first visit of the Society to Glamorgan. Some thirty-five members and guests attended for the whole or part of the week and amongst them we were very pleased to welcome Dr and Mrs Per Størmer.

Of the five organized excursions, four were coastal, being to parts of the Gower peninsula and to the south-east coast of Glamorgan and the fifth was inland, to the head of the Vale of Neath.

The first excursion, on 4 April, was to the Bishopston Valley and Pwll du Head. In the churchyard at Pennard Bryum ruderale was found and on the banks of the lane from Pennard to the valley Eurhynchium schleicheri* was noted. [* = New v.c. record] In the wooded limestone valley bryophytes seen included Mnium cuspidatum, c.fr., Zygodon conoideus*, Orthotrichum striatum, O. stramineum, Cryphaea heteromalla, Omalia trichomanoides, c.fr., Radula complanata* and Lejeunea ulicina. Fissidens rufulus occurred in Bishopstone Pill and Barbula spadicea, c.fr. on an earthy stone.

In the limestone quarries and amongst rocks on Pwll du Head a number of soil bryophytes were found amongst which were Aloina aloides, A. ambigua, Pottia lanceolata, P. crinita var. viridifolia, P. starkeana, Phascum cuspidatum var. piliferum, Weissia crispa, Ephemerum serratum var. minutissimum, Bryum rubens, B. ruderale and B. micro-erythrocarpum. Occurring on the rocks and in rock crevices were Tortella nitida, Bryum canariense var. provinciale*, Scorpiurium circinatum, Lejeunea cavifolia and L. lamacerina var. azorica. At the end of the afternoon a small party visited a wet heath between Llethrid and Cefn Bryn and found Lepidozia setacea, Cephaloziella rubella, C. hampeana, and Cephalozia connivens*.

The morning of 5 April was spent on Kenfig Burrows, a large area of sand-dunes with a rich angiosperm flora. The dunes were, however, disappointing as the water-table had been very much lowered by the drought during the preceding months which had desiccated the bryophytes. A few plants of interest were none the less seen and these included Distichium inclinatum, Barbula acuta, Tortella flavovirens var. glareicola*, Thuidium philibertii*, Amblystegium serpens var. salinum, Drepanocladus sendtneri, Eurhynchium megapolitanum, Leiocolea badensis and Cephaloziella hampeana. In the afternoon limestone cliffs near East Aberthaw were visited, stopping on the way at Candleston Castle to see Habrodon perpusillus. At East Aberthaw Southbya tophacea was seen growing over Eucladium verticillatum and Scorpiurium circinatum was also noted.

On the following day cliffs and dunes on the north Gower coast were visited. About the lower part of the north-facing limestone cliffs at Tor-gro near Landimore Pottia heimii, Barbula convoluta var. commutata*, B. ferruginascens and Thuidium philibertii were found. After lunch the party split up to visit several places. On a bank by the lane leading from Cheriton to Whiteford Burrows there were Weissia controversa, W. crispa and reciprocal hybrids between the two species. On Whiteford Burrows Petalophyllum ralfsii and Moerckia flotowiana occurred in dune slacks and Cryphaea heteromalla in a remarkably dry habitat on conifer trunks in a small plantation. On various parts of Llangennith Burrows Tortula ruraliformis, c.fr., Tortella inclinata, T. flavovirens var. glareicola, Pleurochaete squarrosa, Bryum bornholmense, B. canariense var. provinciale (on sand), and Drepanocladus vernicosus* were found. In a wood by Burry Pill Pottia bryoides, Acrocladium cordifolium, Anthoceros punctatus and Lophocolea fragrans* were discovered. Philonotis caespitosa, Pohlia delicatula and Pellia neesiana* were found on waterlogged ground at Coety Green, and a gemmiferous form of Ceratodon purpureus on a nearby roadside.

Sunday, 7 April, was a free day and several parties visited north Glamorgan and Breconshire. In the valley of the River Hepste north of Penderyn (Breconshire) Fissidens rufulus, F. curnowii, Mnium undulatum, c.fr., M. marginatum, c.fr., Fontinalis antipyretica, var. gracilis*, Barbilophozia attenuata and Cephalozia catenulata were seen. A party went to the imposing Craig-cerrig-Gleisiad cliffs last visited by the B.B.S. in 1927 and saw Barbula ferruginascens, Grimmia torquata, Bartramia halleriana, Philonotis capillaris, Plagiobryum zierii, Tritomaria quinquedentata and Marsupella funckii. Another party went farther east in Breconshire to the Craig-y-Cilau limestone cliffs below Mynydd Llangattock which produced Fissidens minutulus var. minutulus, Seligeria acutifolia var. longiseta, S. trifaria, Tortula subulata var. graeffii, Amblystegiella confervoides*, Cephaloziella starkei and Cololejeunea calcarea. The valley of the Tâf Fechan near Merthyr Tydfil, where the river runs through the only submontane limestone in Glamorgan was of little interest though Distichium inclinatum, Orthotrichum cupulatum and Rhynchostegiella teesdalei* were seen. Several members saw Atrichum crispum below the Craig-y-Llyn cliffs near Hirwaun.

On 8 April the head of the Vale of Neath was visited and the humid valleys of the River Neath and its tributaries explored. On the Glamorgan bank of the River Neath and Afon Pyrddin above Pont-nedd-Fechan, Fissidens rufulus, Dichodontium pellucidum var. flavescens, Tetraphis browniana*, Campylium protensum, Hygroamblystegium fluviatile, Rhytidiadelphus loreus, Ptilidium pulcherrimum, Leiocolea bantriensis, Plectocolea paroica and Cololejeunea calcarea were recorded, and on the Breconshire bank of the Afon Pyrddin Diphyscium foliosum var. acutifolium, Rhabdoweissia fugax, Bartramia ithyphylla, Riccia beyrichiana and Blepharostoma trichophyllum were found. On the banks of the upper reaches of the River Neath in Breconshire there occurred Ephemerum serratum var. serratum and var. minutissimum, Thamnium alopecurum, c.fr., Rhynchostegiella teesdalei, c.fr., and Pedinophyllum interruptum*; in the valley of the Afon Mellte, Mnium rugicum*, Pellia neesiana and Solenostoma atrovirens var. sphaerocarpoidea*. A small party went up the Swansea valley to the Henrhyd waterfall near Coelbren (Breconshire) where Fissidens minutulus var. minutulus, F. curnowii, Tetraphis browniana, and Solenostoma pumila were collected, together with Bryum micro-erythrocarpum from Cefn-bryn-brain near Cwmllynfell, Carmarthenshire.

The last day of the meeting, 9 April, was spent on the limestone of the south-west corner of Gower at Port Eynon and Rhossili. On the sloping cliffs of Port Eynon Point there were seen in the turf Pottia starkeana, Phascum cuspidatum var. piliferum, Tortella nitida, Weissia levieri, Funaria muhlenbergii, Bryum radiculosum, B. obconicum, Scorpiurium circinatum, Scleropodium tourretii*, Eurhynchium megapolitanum and Scapania aspera. About five miles farther west along the coast near Rhossili several of these species, including Weissia levieri, were again seen, together with Pleuridium subulatum, Campylopus introflexus*, Acaulon muticum, Barbula acuta, Trichostomum brachydontium var. cophocarpum, Weissia crispa W. controversa, Grimmia orbicularis, Bryum canariense var. provinciale, Isothecium striatum, Ctenidium molluscum var. fastigiatum*, Fossombronia husnoti var. anglica, Cephaloziella rubella, C. hampeana, C. stellulifera*, C. starkei and C. calyculata*.

During the week fewer new vice-county records were made than had been hoped and it would seem that although there are a number of rare and interesting bryophytes in Glamorgan they are sparsely distributed and that a number of commoner species are unaccountably absent. A number of additional records were made to 10 km. grid squares for the map scheme and these may be of considerable historical interest in the future as Glamorgan is a county where there is much industrial and housing development as well as an increasing holiday industry.

A. J. E. Smith

Location:

Swansea