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 give beginners the false impression that you can study bryophytes without needing a microscope, which as we all know is almost impossible.
In order to address this shortcoming, the BBS are looking to develop a set of keys that combine field and microscope characters, and to this end, Nick Hodgetts has been working on a key to the Pottiales.
This key is now available in draft form, and Nick would like as many people as possible to use it and to provide feedback. The key is available as a PDF download from the Resources -> Identification section of the website.
Published: 4 October 2021
