Lophocolea semiteres Southern Crestwort

A suboceanic, dioicous leafy liverwort which grows along paths and tracks on sandy or peaty soils. It also grows on logs and stumps in open and shaded locations. Where it occurs it often forms extendive mats. It has the typical translucent form of a Lophocolea but it is somewhat larger than the other species. The leaves are almost entire or vaguely notched and the underleaves have 2 spreading lobes. In some ways it bears a superficial resemblance to a Chiloscyphus. It is a Southern Hemisphere species which was first recorded in Britain in 1955 on the Isles of Scilly and has spread in Scotland and parts of southern and eastern England since. There are interesting disjunct populations in southwest Wales and Ireland and it was first recorded in Glamorgan by CH and Hilary Hipkin in the Gnoll Estate Country Park 2014. Sporophytes are uncommon.