Tortula cuneifolia
Tortula cuneifolia (Dicks.) Turner
Pottiaceae
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU D2].
Morphology and biology. Perennial acrocarpous moss forming green cushions or growing individually. Shoots simple, 0.5–1 cm high. Leaves thin, slightly spreading when wet, broadly spatulate, concave, abruptly narrowed in acute apex, margin flat, nerve ends below apex or shortly excurrent. Uni- or bisexual, often with sporophytes. Spore capsule cylindrical, peristome teeth red, free almost to the base.
Habitats and populations. Grows on soil, old brick walls, dry ditch walls, rock crevices. The populations have restricted distribution and low density.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Belasitsa Mt (above town Petrich), Thracian Lowland (near Plovdiv).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, Croatia, Crete, Greece, Montenegro), W, C and S Europe, Canary Islands, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Palestine. Sub-oceanic/sub-Mediterranean species.
Threats. Major threat is habitat degradation due to soil digging, ploughing, etc. The species is sensitive to air pollution. The small number of populations makes the species sensitive to stochastic processes.
Conservation measures taken. None.
Conservation measures needed. To study the dynamics of the numerical strength and area of the populations, as well as the biology and ecology of the species in Bulgaria, to elucidate the threatening factors and monitor the populations.
References. Velenovsky 1902; Petrov 1962a.
Author: Rayna Natcheva
