*1: On open, damp,
level silty-clay on banks of small stream with run-off from
old mine area, W. of Chyverton House, SW75, 1998, DTH 98-175
(BBSUK, DTH) (Rothero 1999b:
40).
A tiny moss that is easily overlooked, growing as
scattered very low erect stems or small patches, occasionally
forming very low lawns. Known only from small area W. of
Chyverton House: in at least four spots on damp, horizontal,
silty-clay alluvium on and near banks of small stream in old
quarried and mined area and for ca 100 m downstream of
it. Also in at least three spots on 'lithosol' of mine/quarry
spoil on slopes of old quarry and banks near old quarry track.
Generally in sparsely vegetated sites, which vary from
unshaded to lightly shaded by colonising Gorse bushes.
Sometimes in small almost pure patches on alluvium, but on
lithosols and some alluvial sites generally mixed with low
bryophyte associates that were listed as Cephaloziella sp., Dicranella
heteromalla, Dicranella varia, Diplophyllum
albicans,
Gymnocolea inflata,
Solenostoma gracillimum, Lophozia bicrenata, Pogonatum aloides.
Sometimes also close to moribund Agrostis
tenuis.
Ditrichum plumbicola is associated with lead at its Cornish site, as is
reported to be the case at all of its other British localities
(Hill et al. 1992: 97). The Chyverton district was formerly noted
for its lead mines. Barton (1963: 49) wrote of the 'once
important Chiverton lead-mining district, centred about a mile
west of Zelah. No less than eight separate mines included the
word Chiverton in their names, most of them brief ventures
that came into being in the 1860's in a wave of local
speculation consequent upon the richness ofWest Chiverton. The prosperity of this
mine however was never equalled by its namesakes, most of
which had only a few years life.'
Chemical analyses of its substrates
show it tolerates not only high levels of Pb at its Cornish
locality, but also rather high levels of Cu and high to very
high levels of Zn, some samples showing simultaneously high
levels of all three metals. All the substrates investigated
were acidic.
Analyses of substrates from locality in
Cornwall (metal
concentrations given as µg/g dry
weight):
LOCALITY (N samples) Cu
Pb
Zn
pH
Source
Chyverton, vc1 (6)
452-1121
5464-11026
2304-16166
4.1-6.5
Rouen
(2000)
Apparently reproducing by stems breaking off as
these are very fragile. No tubers or gametoecia seen.
According to R.D. Porley (in Hill et al. 1992: 97)
gametangia and sporophytes are entirely unknown in this
species.