Barbilophozia barbata
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This attractive liverwort is widespread in the French Alps, although the plants shown here are the only ones I have come across on my travels so far.
I've described B. barbata in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site, where it is a great rarity!
I've described B. barbata in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site, where it is a great rarity!
Tritomaria scitula
below Cime Nire, Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
This pale liverwort is reasonably widespread in the French Alps, where it is found on damp, base-rich rocks. It resembles other Tritomaria species in its lobed leaves but is distinctive in the field in having brown gemmae at the tips of the shoots. The leaf lobes are also more rounded than in T. quinquedentata.
Gymnomitrion concinnatum
below Cime Nire, Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
The most widespread Gymnomitrion species in the French Alps, this little liverwort is typical of cold, damp sites where snow lies late in the year.
I've described this species in more detail in the Liverworts of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
I've described this species in more detail in the Liverworts of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Scapania aspera
below Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
Scapania aspera is the most widespread member of the genus in the French Alps and is found over a wide altitudinal range. It is a typical species of damp limestone.
This species is described in more detail in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site.
This species is described in more detail in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site.
Scapania scandica
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This common species is described in the Liverworts of Scotland section of the site.
Radula lindenbergiana
below Cime Nire, Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
This greasy-looking liverwort is fairly widespread in the French Alps, although the recent 'Mousses et Hepatiques des Alpes francaises' (Legland & Garraud, 2018) shows it as not observed in the Maritime Alps since 1990.
I've described this species in more detail in the Liverworts of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
I've described this species in more detail in the Liverworts of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Porella cordaeana
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This species is described in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site.
Preissia quadrata
Col de Tende, Roya
This common liverwort of damp, calcareous habitats is described in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site.
It is a common species in calcareous parts of the Fremch Alps.
sporophytes
It is a common species in calcareous parts of the Fremch Alps.
sporophytes
Sphagnum capillifolium
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
More than a dozen Sphagnum species are recorded from the Maritime Alps, with this species being one of the most common. While S.capillifolium is often pinkish-red, all of the plants I saw here were a dingy yellow-green.
This species is described in more detail in the Mosses of Scotland section of the site.
This species is described in more detail in the Mosses of Scotland section of the site.
Sphagnum squarrosum
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
S.squarrosum is a very distinctive species and widespread in the French Alps. 'Mousses et Hepatiques des Alpes francaises' (Legland & Garraud, 2018) shows it as not observed in the central Maritime Alps since 1990, so this perhaps represents a new record for the area. The plants here were growing on a seeping soil bank beside a track in larch forest.
This species is described in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
This species is described in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Andreaea rupestris
by Lac Negre, Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Three Andreaea species are recorded from the Maritime Alps - alpestris, frigida and rupestris. I collected this in the hope it was the rare (and tricky to identify) alpestris, but microscopically it was confirmed as the common and widespread A.rupestris.
This species is described in more detail in the Bryophytes of Cumbria section of the site.
This species is described in more detail in the Bryophytes of Cumbria section of the site.
Polytrichastrum alpinum
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
This common alpine species is found on fairly dry rock ledges where some soil has accumulated. It is the most common Polytrichum species in rocky habitats at higher altitudes.
I've described P.alpinum in more detail in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
I've described P.alpinum in more detail in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Flexitrichum gracile
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
One of the commonest acrocarpous mosses of damp, calcareous rocks across Europe, this little species is often a dominant species on sheltered, base-rich crags. Its name was recently changed from Ditrichum gracile.
F. gracile is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
F. gracile is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Saelania glaucescens
Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
Col de Tende, Roya
This unusual moss is a great rarity in Britain, where it is only known from a series of limestone outcrops in Scotland which experience a distinctly continental climate. In the Alps, it is much more frequent, although I have only seen it in small quantity in any one place.
Saelania is instantly recognisable in the field due to its ghostly grey-green colour. This is caused by the leaves being covered in very fine fungal hyphae. It grows in rock crevices and is often fertile, bearing cylindrical capsules on short setae.
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Col de Tende, Roya
Saelania is instantly recognisable in the field due to its ghostly grey-green colour. This is caused by the leaves being covered in very fine fungal hyphae. It grows in rock crevices and is often fertile, bearing cylindrical capsules on short setae.
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Col de Tende, Roya
Hymenoloma crispula (syn. Dicranoweisia crispula)
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
This very common montane species is easy to find almost anywhere in the French Alps. It is worth looking carefully in case the very similar but much rarer H. compactum is present.
This common montane moss is described in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
This common montane moss is described in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Weissia controversa
Col de Tende, Roya
Along with the very similar W.brachycarpa, this is the most widespread Weissia in the French Alps, although both species are more subalpine and lowland in their distribution. W.wimmeriana is very similar to W.controversa but is distinguished by being paroicous. It occurs at higher altitudes than W.controversa.
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Tortula hoppeana
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This montane species is widespread in the Alps and often easy to spot, thanks to its abundant capsules. It shares its habitat with Syntrichia ruralis, and the two are superficially similar in the field.
T.hoppeana can be recognised by its unbordered leaves which have papillose cells in their upper half and often have a green hair-point (although this is sometimes absent). The peristome is simple.
T.hoppeana can be recognised by its unbordered leaves which have papillose cells in their upper half and often have a green hair-point (although this is sometimes absent). The peristome is simple.
Tortula subulata
Col de Tende, Roya
This common species is a colonist of sunny, dry ground, where it can grow alongside T.hoppeana (above). In the French Alps, it tends to be a subalpine species, only rarely ascending to high altitudes. T.subulata grows on soil, rather than directly on rock and has bordered leaves, unlike T.hoppeana.
The species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
The species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Schistidium brunnescens ssp. brunnescens
in habitat, below Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
Text coming soon!
Thanks to Thomas Kiebacher for correcting my initial identification.
Thanks to Thomas Kiebacher for correcting my initial identification.
Schistidium confertum
Col de Tende, Roya
Text coming soon!
Schistidium dupretii
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This species is described in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Schistidium crassipilum
Col de Tende
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Grimmia unicolor
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
In Britain, this unusual Grimmia is a great rarity. In the mountains of Europe, it is much more frequent, where it is characteristic of damp, hard volcanic rocks, particularly at the base of crags.
Microscopically, G.unicolor has a very distinctive appearance, as most of the leaf is occupied by a stout, very broad nerve.
Microscopically, G.unicolor has a very distinctive appearance, as most of the leaf is occupied by a stout, very broad nerve.
Grimmia alpestris
Col de Tende, Roya
At high altitudes in the Alps, this little grey Grimmia is a common sight, forming compact cushions on siliceous rocks. It is visually and vegetatively indistinguishable from the almost-identical G.reflexidens (syn.G.sessitana) and fertile material must be collected to examine mature capsules microscopically - those of G.alpestris lack stomata.
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Racomitrium canescens
Vallon de Salese, Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Timmia austriaca
below Cime Nire, Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
This species is described in the Bryophytes of Savoie section of the site.
Timmia bavarica
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
This species is described in the Bryophytes of Savoie section of the site.
Timmia norvegica
Col de Tende
Text coming soon.
Amblyodon dealbatus
below Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
This moisture-loving flush moss is described in the Bryophytes of the Queyras section of the site.
This occurrence in the Maritime Alps was my first encounter with Amblyodon, which is a very rare and seldom-seen moss in Britain.
This occurrence in the Maritime Alps was my first encounter with Amblyodon, which is a very rare and seldom-seen moss in Britain.
Catascopium nigritum
S of Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
Catascopium is a classic moss of base-rich, flushed ground, where its very distinctive, dark, horizontal capsules on long setae immediately draw attention to it. No other moss resembles it in fruit.
Catascopium is widely recorded in the French Alps, although this site near Col de la Bonette remains the only place I have seen it.
Catascopium is widely recorded in the French Alps, although this site near Col de la Bonette remains the only place I have seen it.
Anomobryum concinnatum
Col de Tende, Roya
Until recently, this species was considereda variety of A.julaceum. These two mosses have a similar distribution in the French Alps, although A.julaceum has not been recorded as far south as the Maritime Alps.
A.concinnatum is distinguished by having a percurrent costa.
A.concinnatum is distinguished by having a percurrent costa.
Bryum pallescens
Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
Bryum pallescens is a curious moss in the Alps, where it is a common species of montane rock ledges. This is very different to its habitats in Britain, where it tends to be a casual weed of utterly unremarkable lowland habitats!
Microscopical characters of the mature capsules and fertile shoots are needed to identify this little species, as several very similar ones occur in similar habitats in the Alps.
B.pallescens is characterised by having appendiculate cilia on the inner peristome. It shares this feature with B.creberrimum, and the two are best separated by spore size - those of B.pallescens are larger (20+ microns), whereas those of B.creberrimum are between 10 and 14 microns.
The visually similar B.algovicum has a different peristome structure which is immediately visible under a microscope.
Microscopical characters of the mature capsules and fertile shoots are needed to identify this little species, as several very similar ones occur in similar habitats in the Alps.
B.pallescens is characterised by having appendiculate cilia on the inner peristome. It shares this feature with B.creberrimum, and the two are best separated by spore size - those of B.pallescens are larger (20+ microns), whereas those of B.creberrimum are between 10 and 14 microns.
The visually similar B.algovicum has a different peristome structure which is immediately visible under a microscope.
Pohlia cruda
Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
P. cruda is a very common species in many montane areas of Europe, as well as at lower altitudes.
I've described this species in more detail in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
I've described this species in more detail in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Rhizomnium magnifolium
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This moisture-loving species is quite widespread in the French Alps, despite being an extremely rare member of the genus in Britain.
Visually it resembles the very common R,punctatum, but the leaves are larger (hence the scientific name) and the stems bear micronemata (tiny, dark rhizoids which cover the stems).
The plants shown here were growing on a seeping, sheltered bank in larch forest, near the tree line with Sphagnum squarrosum.
Visually it resembles the very common R,punctatum, but the leaves are larger (hence the scientific name) and the stems bear micronemata (tiny, dark rhizoids which cover the stems).
The plants shown here were growing on a seeping, sheltered bank in larch forest, near the tree line with Sphagnum squarrosum.
Plagiomnium cuspidatum
Col de Tende, Roya
This attractive species is widespread in the French Alps. I've described it in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Plagiomnium medium
Le Boreon
Text coming soon.
Amphidium lapponicum
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
In Britain, this attractive, small moss is very rare outside of the Scottish mountains. In the French Alps, it is more common but 'Mousses et Hepatiques des Alpes francaises' (Legland & Garraud, 2018) shows it as not observed in the Maritime Alps since 1990. The colony shown here is almost certainly a new record.
I've described A.lapponicum in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
below Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
I've described A.lapponicum in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
below Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
Pterigynandrum filiforme
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Pterigynandrum is a common moss in continental Europe, both on rocks at higher altitudes and as an epiphyte in Mediterranean regions. It favours siliceous rocks, where it grows as loose wefts and patches with a slightly dingy greenish appearance. It somewhat resembles Myurella species, but those tend to grow as paler, scattered shoots and have more rounded leaves without prorate cells.
I've described this species more in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
I've described this species more in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Lescuraea saxicola
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
I've only come across this attractive moss occasionally in my French travels - including on the very first rock I looked at! L.saxicola is distinctive in having its leaves all curved n the same direction. Microscopically, it has longer cells than the other common Lescuraeas and lacks pleated leaves.
L.saxicola is a great rarity in Britain, believed to have been extinct since the early 20th century.
L.saxicola is a great rarity in Britain, believed to have been extinct since the early 20th century.
Lescuraea radicosa
Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
This attractive montane species is described in the Bryophytes of the Queyras section of the site.
Sanionia uncinata
Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
Sanionia is one of the commonest pleurocarps in alpine meadows, where it thrives in sunny, short, calcareous turf. It often occurs with Hypnum revolutum and Lescuraea species.
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Homalothecium lutescens
Col de Tende, Roya
This common golden moss is a typical species of limestone terrain. It closely resembles H.philippeanum, but that species has a nerve that reaches the leaf apex, rather than ending below it. H.lutescens is very widespread in the French Alps but H.phlippeanum occurs widely as well.
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Orthothecium intricatum
below Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
This and O.rufescens are the only two members of the genus recorded from the Maritime Alps. Given their reliance on damp habitats (especially the latter species), their occurrence is rather restricted - much of the limestone terrain in the Maritime Alps is too dry in summer for them to survive.
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Plagiothecium denticulatum ssp. obtusifolium
Col de la Bonette, Mercantour PN
This variable species is the most widespread of the Plagiothecium species in the French Alps.
Plagiothecium succulentum
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
P. succulentum is an uncommon species in the French Alps and is not recorded for the Maritime Alps in the recent Legland and Garraud flora, so this find represents a significant new record. The specimen has been checked and verified.
Hygrohypnum luridum
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
Text coming soon!
Hygrohypnum ochraceum
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
Text coming soon!
Scorpidium scorpioides
Le Boreon
Text coming soon!
Hylocomium splendens
Le Boreon
Tortella tortuosa
Le Boreon
This very common species is described in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Camplylium protensum
Le Boreon
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Dicranum majus
Le Boreon
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Philonotis calcarea
Le Boreon
Hypnum cupressiforme
Le Boreon
Text coming soon!
Lescuraea incurvata
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Text coming soon!
Bartramia pomiformis
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Syntrichia ruralis
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This species is described in the Bryophytes of the Queyras & Hautes-Alpes section of the site.
Grimmia funalis
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This upland species is described in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Atypically small form, confirmed microscopically by Tom Blockeel.
Atypically small form, confirmed microscopically by Tom Blockeel.
Ceratodon purpureus
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Grimmia hartmanii
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Text coming soon!
Grimmia reflexidens
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This species is described in the Bryophytes of the Queyras & Hautes-Alpes section of the site.
Grimmia longirostris (probably)
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
Text coming soon!
Distichium capillaceum
Le Boreon, Mercantour PN
This very common upland species is described in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Myurella julacea
Val Gordolasque, Mercantour PN
This species is described in the Mosses of Ben Lawers NNR section of the site.
Palustriella commutata
Col de Tende
This common species is described in the Bryophytes of other areas of northern England section of the site.