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Two Anomalies and a Curious Sight

1906; American Bryological and Lichenological Society; Volume: 9; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/3237413

1938-4378

Bil Gilbert,

Botany and Plant Ecology Studies

In Dixon's Handbook of British Mosses, under the description of Leucobryum glaucum, it is said that A curious state from Hedsor forms spheroidal balls or cushions, entirely unattached, consisting from stems radiating outwards from a central point, and showing no lack of vigorous growth in spite of the freedom from anything like attachment, which obviously must have lasted for a considerable period. During the summer of I905 I was on the west branch of the Unadilla River, in the northwestern part of Otsego Co., New York, hunting for mosses. In the hemlock woods a great deal of Leucobryum glaucum grew upon the ground. I stooped to pick up a tuft of it, and it proved such a as is described in above quotation. It is about iy+ inches deep and 3 4 inches across. It is almost perfectly round on the edges, and both above and below the growing ends of the stems are shown. They truly radiate outward from a central point. The fact, however, which Mr. Dixon did not know, not having seen the plant in situ, is that the cushion grew in a matrix of its own diameter and about half an inch deep. But it was entirely unattached to the soil or any substratum, and must have derived its material for growth from the atmosphere and the rain which fell upon it. This is my first anomaly. In August of the same year I visited Caroga and Canada Lakes in Fulton Co., N. Y. The western end of Caroga Lake is very deep, and the shore is lined with large rocks that extend down into the water so that one can row directly alongside them, and occasionally land upon them. Many mosses grow on these rocks, and one of the rocks in particular, a very large one with a steeply inclined surface, was chiefly covered with Sphagnzum acul/folium, probably the variety quinquefarinzum, a short form but well fruited. Dixon says of this moss that it grows very fine and well marked on wet rocks in mountain woods. The surface of the rock was kept constantly moistened by water that trickled down over it from damp ground above. The anomaly here was that the Sphagnum grew freely on a rock which contained no covering of soil. Of course the trickling water explains the apparent anomaly. The mountains around Canada Lake are much higher than at Caroga, and there several cliffs at the summit. On West Canada, one of the landing places goes by the name of Big Rock camp. It is so called from a big rock lying up the hill about forty rods from the water. It is as large as a good-sized house, and probably thirty feet high. The face, which fronts down hill, is nearly vertical, and this front is well covered, from five feet above the ground upward, with separate fronds of the lichen Umbilicaria Dillenii Tuckerm. Each drab colored button is centrally attached to the rock from which it is easily detached entire. The edges of the fronds do not touch each other, and the sight of this large surface so completely studded with them is one not often encountered save by the lichenist in search of specimens. The rock appears to be of Plutonic or Archaean origin, and consequently unstratified. I am not familiar enough with lichens to know whether the species is confined to this class of rocks or not, but it grows there with great luxurience, and is a sight well worth seeing. Clayville, N. Y.