A small order in Britain (but about 135 species world-wide), including a very common and characteristic species, Funaria hygrometrica, growing on old bonfire sites, disturbed ground and garden and other horticultural habitats.
Dr M loves Grimmiales, well it’s such a wonderful bryological name! And a great big order of epiphytic acrocarpous mosses of walls and rocks and boulders and related habitats.
Dr M is potty about Pottiales, partly because it can be a tricky group to deal with, partly because it is a common and widespread group of acrocarps so it is an important order of mosses and partly just because Pottiales is such a great name!
This is a rather characteristic order of acrocarpous mosses recognised by the generally very long, narrow leaves.
A really very characteristic group of mosses, the genus Fissidens often being mistaken for leafy liverworts by beginning students due to the complanate (flattened) shoots, and the leaves in two-ranks.
So, what was Dr M doing on his birthday? Well, after a quick shufty at his birthday cards, including a very cheeky one from young nieces and nephew, off he went to check out some marvellous mosses – including a lovely birthday Bryum – for his forthcoming series on bryophytes! Coming to drmgoeswild.com soon: Dr M’s guide to common orders of mosses and liverworts! Watch
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Dr M has been investigating lichen diversity with his MSc students and has recently posted on liking lichen growth forms, crustose lichens and foliose lichens. Dr M continues this series with a look at some of the fruticose lichens that students examined in the lab under the expert guidance of botanical colleague Fay Newbery. The thallus (the main body of the lichen) is branched the branches may be rounded or
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Dr M has been investigating lichen diversity with his MSc students and you can check out the other posts on liking lichen growth forms and crustose lichens and fruticose lichens. Here Dr M takes a look at some of the foliose lichens that students examined in the lab under the expert guidance of botanical colleague Fay Newbery.
Dr M has been investigating lichen diversity with his MSc students and you can check out the other posts on liking lichen growth forms and foliose lichens, and fruticose lichens. Here Dr M takes a look at some of the crustose lichens that students examined in the lab under the expert guidance of botanical colleague Fay Newbery.
Dr M’s recent lichen post drew a number of appreciative comments, there are plenty of lichen enthusiasts out there it seems, maybe lichenology is not such a threatened species as Dr surmised! Anyway while Dr M draws up his next magnum lichen post, here’s a stunning image of lichens from Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel