57
New Charophyte (Stonewort) and Bryophyte records
KEN ADAMS
Dept. Life. Sciences, University of East London EI 5 4LZ.
Charophytes
The following new records have been made since those reported in the Essex Naturalist 14: 115-142,
15: 555 and 16: 32-34. Once again the Chara vulgaris s.l. forms have been described by the author in
detail as part of our continuing investigations into the taxonomy of these forms.
Chara vulgaris var. longibracteata
TL(52)51 536,128 19 Matching, new reservoir at Parvilles, with Chara
globularis var. globularis. August 1999. Shirley & Charles
Watson.
Chara vulgaris [intermediate]
TL(52)43 464,343 19
Clavering, farm reservoir, with Myriophyllum spicatum and
Potamogeton trichoides. Intermediate material, var. vulgaris and
var. longibracteata expression on the same axes. Also a mixture of
spine cell types, some very long, straight, pointed and spreading
(exceeding axis diameter) - close to the hispidula expression, but
all arising from grooves, others very vestigial-short and recurved
into the grooves. Most oopsorcs light to dark brown (almost black)
when mature. 19 August 1999. Shirley & Charles Watson.
Chara vulgaris [intermediate]
TQ(51)67 648/9,756 18
Tilbury, massive quantities of material choking the whole
length of the drain immediately north of the east-west
segment of Fort Road, just north of Tilbury Fort. Spine
cells vailable on same plants from vestigial to very long and
curved-supine to long straight and spreading, but all arising from
sunken primary rows. Bract cells and bracteoles varying from
very short to very long, again on the same plants. Plenty of
immature male and female rgans. Oospores brown. 8 September
1999. K.J.Adams.
Chara vulgaris var. hispidula/var. contraria
TL(52)52 586,233
19
Easton Airfield. Two year-old pond newly excavated in the
chalk. Plants bright green, unencrusted, oospores shiny black,
spine cells densely clustered and overlapping, particularlyjust
below and just above the nodes, long straight and pointed, many
arising from the ridges but some clearly arising from the grooves.
Some appeared to simply be the upturned tips of cortical rows
that had not been cut off as separate cells. Stipuloides about
equally developed to upper slightly smaller. Bracteoles and bract
cells about the same as typical var. vulgaris. Spine cells on
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 17 (2000)