I visited Kew's Wakehurst not to look at epiphytic bryophytes and lichens on the introduced trees and plants of its botanical gardens but to see the lichens and bryophytes in the large amount of indigenous high weald ghyll woodland, especially the Wakehurst Wood area of Kew's Wakehurst estate, part of the Wakehurst & Chiddingly Woods SSSI
Ecology:
The wooded ghylls have been formed by streams cutting through formations of Wadhurst clay and Lower
Tunbridge Wells sands, leaving exposed outcrops of sandstone in the valleys. The warm, moist micro-climate
allows plants to flourish which are more typically restricted to the west of the country. The streams have been
dammed to form a series of ponds with marginal vegetation which contribute to the value of the site for birds.
Much of the woodland is semi-natural, but in some areas conifers and rhododendron have been planted.
The sandrocks in Wakehurst and Chiddingly Woods support rich communities of ferns, bryophytes (mosses
and liverworts) and lichens. These are a remnant of a Western ‘Atlantic’ plant community which was once
far more widespread in distribution. They include uncommon plants such as the Tunbridge filmy fern
Hymenophyllum tunbrigense, bryophytes such as Dicranum scottianum, Orthodontium gracile,
Tetrodontium brownianum, Scapania gracilis and Blepharostoma trichophyllum, and some lichens of
county importance. Wakehurst & Chiddingly Woods SSSI
Part of the Wakehurst Wood area of the SSSI is called the Rock Walk, where the Ardingly Sandstones of the Tunbridge Wells series are the home of many cryptograms, this is called the Frances Rose Reserve, after one of Sussex's most important bryologists and lichenologists.
Here are the species I saw either on indigenous trees, the Ardingly Sandstone, on the ground or in/around the ghylls. Some of these identifications may not be correct; I am still new to bryophytes and lichens, so please do correct me in comments on this post
Amblystegium serpens on bark (Quercus robur?))
Conocephalum conicum in a ghyll (Ardingly Brook)
Aspenium ruta-muraria (a fern) on Ardingly Sandstone
Bryum sp on Ardingly Sandstone
Chrysosplenium oppositfolium (a flowering plant and indicator species of ancient woodland, on the banks of Ardingly Brook)
Cladonia sp, probably C. caespitica on Ardingly Sandstone
Cladonia sp, probably C. coniocrea on Ardingly sandstone
Cladonia sp, probably C. fimbriata on introduced Magnolia
Cladonia sp. possibly C. caespitica
Dicranella heteromalla, on Ardingly sandstone
Evernia prunastri covering the SE side of Juniperus communis
Fissidens taxifolius on Ardingly sandstone
Flavoparmelia caperata on Quercus roburQuercus robur
Homolothecium sp. probably H. sericeum on Ardingly sandstone
Hypnum cupressiforme on bark
Hypotrachnya revoluta on Quercus robur
Kindbergia praelonga on bark
Lecidella eleachroma on Quercus robur
Leconora barkmania on bark
Lepraria sp. probably L. finkii on Taxus baccata
Lepraria sp. possibly L. rigidula on Ardingly sandstone
Lichens, various, on Quercus robur
Lunularia cruciata on Ardingly sandstone
Melanohalea elegantula and Parmelia sulcata on Quercus robur
Metzgeria furcata on Fagus sp.
Mnium hornum on Ardingly sandstone
Opegrapha sp. probably O. vermicellifera on Taxus baccata
Parmotrema perlatum on Quercus robur
Pertusaria hymenea on introduced Acer sp.
Phlyctis argena on Quercus robur
Polystichum aculeatum on Ardingly sandstone
Polytrichum sp. probably P. formosum on Ardingly sandstone
Polytrichum formosum with Flavoparmelia caperata on Quercus robur
Ramalina fastigata and Flavoparmelia caperata on Quercus robur
Taxus baccata on Ardingly sandstone - "Rock Walk"
Tetraphis pellucida on Ardingly sandstone
Thuidium tamariscinum on Ardingly sandstone
Xanthoria parietina (and other lichens) on Quercus robur
Zygodon sp probably Z. conoideus on Ardingly Sandstone
