Ptilium crista-castrensis
Ptilium crista-castrensis (Hedw.) De Not.
Hypnaceae
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Perennial pleurocarpous moss forming lax green or yellowish green tufts on litter in woodlands. Tuft size 20–30 cm2. Stems prostrate, 5–8 (to 20) cm long, pinnately branched. Branches of almost equal length except near stem apex where shorter. Leaves strongly curved, with longitudinal folds and thread-like narrowed tips. Nerve short and double or absent. Sporophyte ovate to oval, flat or slightly curved. Unisexual.
Habitats and populations. Plants grow on forest soil in spaced Scots pine and mixed Scots pine-spruce forests with bilberry and cowberry, and spaced herb vegetation in lower forest layer.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Rhodopi Mts (Western – Dzhenevra locality near Shiroka Polyana dam and along the road to Malka Syutkya peak west of Beglika locality).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia), Europe, Greenland, Caucasus, N and C Asia, North America. Boreal-montane species.
Threats. The localities are close to regions with active forestry activities and related human impact (e.g. trampling, waste contamination) especially during the time of year when berries and mushrooms are collected. The species is characterized by low potential for sexual reproduction.
Conservation measures taken. The localities are in 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. Ganeva 1995.
Author: Anna Ganeva
