Leptodictyum humile
Leptodictyum humile (P. Beauv.) Ochyra
Leptodictyum kochii (Bruch, Schimp. & W. Gümbel) Warnst.
Amblystegiaceae
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU D2].
Morphology and biology. Perennial pleurocarpous moss. Tufts yellowish green, soft, lax, small to medium in size. Stems creeping or growing upwards, irregularly branched. Leaves 1.2–2.2 mm long, erect and sometimes spreading in various directions, ovate-lanceolate at base, tapering towards leaf point, with entire or slightly toothed leaf margin. Nerve extending 1/2–3/4 way up leaf. Branch leaves smaller but similar to stem leaves. Sporophytes narrowly ellipsoid, inclined and curved. Bisexual.
Habitats and populations. Plants grow on moist stony-sandy places along streams in mountains and semi-montane regions.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Forebalkan (near the town of Cherven Bryag and Staroseltsi village), Balkan Range (Western – Iskar River valley at the town of Svoge and Eliseina railway station), Rhodopi Mts (Eastern – near the town of Ardino, Belite Brezi locality).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Serbia), N, W and C Europe, Caucasus, Siberia, Iran, C Asia, North America, Mexico. Temperate species.
Threats. Human settlement extensions, water pollution by domestic and industrial wastes, changes of riverbeds. The species is characterized by slow growth rate.
Conservation measures taken. Some localities are within sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Long-term study, assessment of trends in habitat changes, and prognosis for population development.
References. Stefanoff 1971; Papp et al. 2006.
Author: Anna Ganeva
