Trichostomum brachydontium
Trichostomum brachydontium Bruch
Pottiaceae
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU D2].
Morphology and biology. Perennial acrocarpous moss forming lax tufts, yellow to dark green above, rusty brown within. Shoots 1.5–2(4) cm long. Leaves slightly spreading when wet, broadly linear lanceolate to narrowly lingulate, leaf apex shortly acute or rounded, margin flat, finely denticulate in the upper part, nerve ends below apex or shortly excurrent. Unisexual. Spore capsule ellipsoid, seta yellow, peristome pale yellowish to orange.
Habitats and populations. Grows on dry stony soil and in crevices of calcareous rocks. The populations have restricted distribution and low density.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Balkan Range (Central – between the chalets Kozya Stena and Eho), Strandzha Mts (between Bulgari village and Tsarevo).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula, Europe, Iceland, Japan, North America. Sub-Mediterranean mountain species.
Threats. No data. The small number of populations makes the species sensitive to stochastic processes.
Conservation measures taken. The population in the Balkan Range is within Central Balkan National Park and Strandzha Nature Park as well as in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
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. Simon & Vajda 1959; Ganeva 2002.
Author: Rayna Natcheva
