Fissidens celticus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Division: | Bryophyta |
Class: | Bryopsida |
Subclass: | Dicranidae |
Order: | Dicranales |
Family: | Fissidentaceae |
Genus: | Fissidens |
Species: | F. celticus
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Binomial name | |
Fissidens celticus
Paton, 1965
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Fissidens celticus, also known by its common name Welsh pocket-moss, is a species of moss in the family Fissidentaceae. It was discovered in 1958 in Pembrokeshire by A.H. Norkett and was first described as a new species by Jean Paton in 1965. [3]
Fissidens celticus has shoots up to 4.5 millimetres (0.18 in) tall and 1–1.5 millimetres (0.039–0.059 in) wide. [4] Each shoot has many leaves, often 10 pairs or more, of equal size. [4] The nerve in each leaf runs all the way to the leaf tip and has a distinct bend about halfway along the leaf. [4] Male plants and capsules are not known, [5] and it is uncertain how the species disperses. [6]
Fissidens celticus can be distinguished from F. exilis by its longer shoots, its greater number of leaves and its lack of capsules. [4]
Fissidens celticus grows on shaded soil banks near woodland streams, especially on bare, compact patches eroded by floodwater. [4] It has an altitude range of between 5 and 300 metres (16.4 and 984 feet). [3]
Fissidens celticus is generally believed to be widespread and common within suitable localities. It is apparently endemic to western Europe and there is no evidence of population decline. [1]
The species holotype was from Hustyn Wood, St Breock, Cornwall, [6] and it is common throughout the western parts of the United Kingdom. [3] In the United Kingdom, F. celticus often associates with Calypogeia arguta, [3] Diplophyllum albicans, [3] Dicranella heteromalla, [6] Dicranella rufescens, [3] [7] Epipterygium tozeri, [3] F. bryoides, [3] Pellia epiphylla, [3] Pohlia lutescens, [3] and Pseudotaxiphyllum elegans. [3]
Fissidens celticus is most commonly found in South West England, but is also present in the south east and north west. [3]
There are records of F. celticus from Cornwall, [6] Devon, [8] Gloucestershire, [9] Kent, [10] and Sussex. [11] On the Isle of Wight, it is present in Parkhurst Forest, [12] and at Briddlesford Nature Reserve. [13] As of 2001, the only known record in Lancashire was on the River Lune Biological Heritage Site. [14]
The species can be found all across western Wales, [3] [15] including on Anglesey. [16]
Fissidens celticus is present in much of western Scotland. [3] The Tayvallich Juniper and Fen SSSI (near Tayvallich, Argyll and Bute) is noted for its oceanic bryophytes, including F. celticus. [17]
In Northern Ireland, the only known location for F. celticus is in Ness Wood ASSI in County Londonderry. [18]
Fissidens celticus has been recorded in many other countries in Europe:
In 2019, it was first reported in Turkey (and therefore in Asia). [22] It was found in Bozyazı, Mersin Province, associating with Bartramia stricta, Bryum dichotomum, Didymodon tophaceus, Targionia hypophylla and Timmiella barbuloides. [22]