Meeting report

(Extracted from the Journal of Botany, November, 1930.)

The Annual Meeting and Excursion were held at Wareham, Dorset, from April 23rd to 30th last; about thirty members and friends were present. Wareham was an excellent centre for bog and heathland studies. Morden Heath with its sand-pits and bog-holes yielded some interesting plants; Campylopus brevipilus is abundant on Studland Heath, also many Sphagna. Corfe Castle for the Purbeck Hills, and Lulworth Cove showed bryophytes under dry conditions in the short turf, Bryum atropurpureum var. gracilentum and Pottia intermedia growing on ant-hills. A day was spent on Portland Island for the rare hepatic Southbya nigrella; a close search among the tumbled rocks in the great quarries was rewarded by a few stems being found of this tiny blackish-green liverwort. On the dry exposed turfy banks by the quarries there was a form of both Neckera crispa and N. complanata in erect densely tufted clumps. The special Portland moss, Eurhynchium meridionale, grew in similar situations, also E. circinatum. The uncommon moss Leptodon smithii grew in some quantity on trees near Wareham. A day was spent in the New Forest, Hampshire; two large boggy areas were visited, the flat Holmsley Bog and the steeply-sloping, but very wet, Matley Bog – these produced many Sphagna, amongst which, and also in tufts of Leucobryum glaucum, species of Cephalozia were densely matted. Here Dicranum spurium and Hypnum imponens were seen.

Lists follow of the more important finds; new county records for v.c. 9 Dorset and v.c. 11 South Hants are starred. The Sphagna are not included, but will be dealt with separately:-

TRUE MOSSES. V.c. 9. *Cinclidotus fontinaloides, *Funaria calcarea, *Philonotis capillaris, *Webera calcarea (Lulworth Cove), *Bryum atropurpureum var. gracilentum, *Brachythecium salebrosum var. palustre, *Eurhynchium myosuroides var. cavernarum, *Hypnum cupressiforme var. filiforme. V.c. 11. Campylopus atrovirens, *Mnium rostratum, *Pterygophyllum lucens.

HEPATICS. V.c. 9. Riccia *bifurca and *sorocarpa, Pellia *epiphylla and forma *undulata, *Fossombronia pusilla, *Lophozia bicrenata, Cephalozia connivens, macrostachya, francisci and fluitans, *Odontoschisma denudatum (also new to v.c. 11), *Calypogeia arguta, Microlejeunea ulicina, *Anthoceros laevis. V.c. 11. *Aneura latifrons, *Lepidozia setacea.

The President, Mr. W. E. Nicholson, F.L.S., took the Chair at the Annual Meeting on April 26th, when the usual election of officers took place. The new (3rd) edition of the “Hepatic Census Catalogue” may be obtained from Mr. W. R. Sherrin, A.L.S., the Librarian. The Meeting in 1931 will take place at Harlech, Merionethshire, in mid-August.

A few of the members visited Cornwall after the Wareham meeting, and Mr. Nicholson found Lejeunea macvicari Pears. near the Lizard; it had only been found in Inverness before, so is new to England.

Eleonora Armitage