Bryophyte Survey of Castle Woods
The Trust were lucky in spring 2009 to have Castle Woods nature reserve, in the Dinefwr Estate, Llandeilo, visited by bryophyte expert Sam Bosanquet.
Various bryologists have visited the reserve over the years, including Francis Rose, and a field meeting of the British Bryological Society (BBS) in 1978. However, the site- which is well characterised with regard to its botanical and lichen interest, remains less well understood in terms of its liverwort and moss flora.
The survey, which took place over two days in early spring 2009, produced a total of 278 records, of 114 species. Thirty six of the records were from Llandyfeisant Church!
A number of interesting species grow in the reserve, some highlights include:
Eurhynchium schleicheri was recorded new to Carmarthenshire on steep, lime-rich soil below the Castle. It looks similar to the common E. hians and E. praelongum, but has twisted leaf tips and creeping underground stems. This is a south-eastern species in Britain - it is locally common in Monmouthshire, grows in one or two sites in Glamorgan, and is at the western edge of its range in Castle Woods.
Marchesinia mackaii forms black patches on limestone outcrops below the Castle. This leafy liverwort is known from further up the Tywi Valley in the Rhandirmwyn area, as well as in south-west Carmarthenshire near Pendine, but the Castle Woods colony is the first record from central Carmarthenshire.
Taxiphyllum wissgrillii - this subtle calcicole, known from just 5 sites in Carmarthenshire, was recorded from the reserve by the BBS in 1978 and was located again by Sam Bosanquet in 2009 in south Castle Woods.
Phaeoceros laevis was the only Hornwort recorded from the site. It grows in small quantity on a bank in Llandyfeisant churchyard. Hornworts are the third group of bryophytes, distinct from both mosses and liverworts, and are named after their long, horn-like spore capsules.
Scapania nemorea and Scapania compacta grow on the roof of Llandyfeisant churchyard along with Racomitrium heterostichum and R. fasciculare. This assemblage is more typical of rocks in upland Carmarthenshire and is very unusual in such an artificial situation. Even more unusual are slender stems of the bog liverwort Cephaloziella hampeana that creep through the Scapania patches.