Ulota crispa
Ulota crispa (Hedw.) Brid.
Orthotrichaceae
Conservation status. Endangered [EN B2ab(iii)].
Morphology and biology. Perennial epiphytic moss. Tufts yellowish green, rusty in colour inside, 1–2 cm high. Leaves moderately or strongly crisped when dry, erect when moist; linear-lanceolate, sharply pointed. Nerve ending below or within the leaf tip. Sporophyte ellipsoid, gradually proceeding into the stalk, with longitudinal folds, twisted after drying up and spore release. Bisexual.
Habitats and populations. Plants grow in mountain forests on trunks of trees (Abies alba, Fagus sylvatica, Betula alba) in places with high air humidity.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Balkan Range (Central – valley of Zavodna River above the town of Ribaritsa), Vitosha Region (Vitosha Mt – Stara Reka River above Bistritsa village, on birch trunks above Dragalevski Monastery and in the valley of River Vladayska).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia) and C Europe, Canary Islands, Asia Minor, Caucasus, Amur, Sakhalin, North America, Tasmania. Temperate species.
Threats. Enlargement of human settlements, infrastructure development, old tree clearance, air pollution.
Conservation measures taken. The species locality in the Balkan Range is within Central Balkan National Park. All localities are in sites of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. Long-term study, assessment of the trends in habitat changes, prognosis for population development and recommendation of appropriate conservation measures; legal protection of the species.
References. Podpéra 1911; Arnaudoff 1914; Ganeva 2008
Author: Anna Ganeva
