Ulota crispa

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Identification notes

In 2017, Tom Blockeel published an article which explained why the species known as U. crispa in Smith’s 2008 moss flora appeared to be ill-defined and readily confused with U. bruchii. Since that then, British and Irish bryologists have slowly been getting to grips with the three species that U. crispa s.l. became – U. intermediaU. crispula and U. crispa s.str. The Ulota intermedia page compares the 3 species and gives some hints on how to examine peristome characters.

U. crispa is a mid-season species and the best time to search for and identify it is when its strongly contracted capsules mature in mid-late summer.

For lots more useful information, Tom’s article is strongly recommended and you can download a PDF by following the link at the bottom of this page.

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Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland

View distribution from the BBS Atlas 2014

Resources you may find useful

Blockeel, T.L. 2017. The Ulota crispa group in Britain and Ireland, with notes on other species of the genus. Field Bryology 117: 8-19

Tom Blockeel describes three new species of Ulota and provides a new key for the genus.

Download article

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