This little liverwort is easy to recognise once you've been introduced to it. The inflated leaf lobes with a long beak (giving it its common name of 'Fingered Cowlwort') are unique amongst British liverworts. The only problem is spotting it in the first place, as it's so tiny! The trick is to find suitable habitat, then get your hand lens out and search for it. This specimen was growing on the trunk of a willow near water in the Brecon Beacons, just the kind of damp habitat it likes.
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BBS member George Greiff has become fascinated by bryophilous fungi over the last couple of years, and is keen to get other bryologists out there looking. He has written a couple of articles in Field Bryology and is putting together a guide to some of the more common bryophilous fungi you might see. We are hosting […]
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As many members will know, for many years, Phil Stanley has maintained an index to the contents of the main BBS publications: Field Bryology, Journal of Bryology, the Field Guide and others. He publishes this index along with other publication-related information on his website www.lumiweb.com. Earlier this year, Phil approached the BBS Council to see […]
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Biantheridion undulifolium (was Jamesoniella undulifolia), Marsh Flapwort, growing through Sphagnum rubellum. Photographed by Des Callaghan during a survey of a site in mid-Wales. It seems quite fussy about which species of Sphagnum it grows through, and was predominantly found with S. rubellum at this site.
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Updated information about the 2024 International Botanical Congress in Madrid Earlier this year it was announced that due to the pandemic the next International Botanical Congress will be delayed one year and held in Madrid, Spain, in July 2024. The dates for the rescheduled Botanical Congress are as follows: Nomenclature Section, July 15-19, 2024 Congress, […]
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The terrestrial form of Ricciocarpos natans (Fringed Heartwort) looks quite different to its aquatic counterpart, being more fleshy and often with a purplish tinge. This photo was taken in a muddy, cattle-poached pingo in Norfolk, where it was growing in great abundance.
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Dr Phil Stanley has generated new dictionary files corresponding to the 2020/2021 species checklists for the UK and Europe. These can be used in Microsoft Word and similar applications to check the spelling of the new species names. The files can be downloaded from the Resources area, on the Checklists page. They will download as […]
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Feedback requested The BBS Field Guide has been a wonderful resource for beginning and improving bryologists since it was published in 2010. However, one complaint that has been levied against it, is that the lack of any microscope characters in the keys mean that some species simply cannot be keyed out – and also may […]
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Gymnomitrion crenulatum (Western Frostwort) skilfully photographed on the Autumn 2021 meeting in North Wales by Calum McLennan. It doesn't always look as beautiful as this, as the leaf margins frequently become eroded, giving the cushions a whitish appearance.
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The Publications Committee is looking into the production of a second edition of Mosses and liverworts of Britain and Ireland: a field guide, originally published by the BBS in 2010. This will be a ‘light touch’ revision updating the nomenclature and maps, correcting any errors and including a greater range of drawings. As part of […]
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