The Bryophyte Flora of Gillie's Hill, Stirlingshire Vice-County, Scotland

Robert the Bruce Statue at Stirling Castle

Robert the Bruce Statue at Stirling Castle

My first introduction to Gillie's Hill was through a posting on BRYONET (a list-serve for die-hard “bryo-geeks”).  The original post was sent seeking someone to assist in the identification of bryophytes as part of an effort to document the flora and fauna of a site being considered for commercial development.  I noticed the person who posted the message was from California?  With my interest peaked, I sent an inquiry to ascertain why someone from California was making such a request.  Six years and three trips later, I have managed to acquire a number of Scottish friends, one more from California, and several hundred bryophyte vouchers from a number of sites in Scotland and northern England.  

In June of 1314, King Edward II of England had arrived in Stirling and was on the eve of a confrontation with the Scottish King, Robert the Bruce.  The ensuing battle lasted for two days, and in what could be one of the most decisive moves in the battle, King Robert's camp followers took up their wares and joined the battle.  The exhausted English soldiers thought these commoners represented re-enforcements and fled the battlefield, securing a victory for Scotland.  After a resounding defeat, the English king fled and Scotland took its first step towards independence from England at the Battle of Bannockburn.  It is said these camp followers, also called "Gillies," were encamped in the woodland on what is now known as Gillie's Hill.

Ruins of Polmaise Castle

Ruins of Polmaise Castle

Many centuries of use by man are visible on Gillie's Hill: an iron-age fort from 2000 years ago; an ancient defensive structure, Wallstale Dun, on the southern end of the hill; Bruce's Well, formerly Christ's Well, where Robert the Bruce was said to have taken communion before entering battle; the now lost Bonnety tree where legend has it the Gillies hung their bonnets before entering the battle at Bannockburn; and Polmaise Castle, built in 1865, the ruins of which can be seen on the hill to this day.  Each of these are subtle reminders of the role Gillie's Hill has played in the long, turbulent history of Scotland.

Gillie’s Hill (56, 06' 10.93" N, 3, 58' 22.11" W) is a gently sloping vegetated hilltop, geologically known as a "crag and tail formation," that rises from the Forth Valley immediately west of the city of Stirling.  Covering approximately 350 acres, the hill rises from 259' above sea level near the Bannockburn, to approximately 531' at its westernmost point where it overlooks Murray's Wood, Gartur Wood, Bonniebrae Wood, and Touch a little farther west.  Several crag and tail formations can be found in the area: Abbey Craig, Kings Park, Sauchie Craig, and the strategic Castle Hill, where Stirling Castle was erected in the early 12th century.  These formations are the result of glacial action during the Pleistocene when the more resistant rock was shaped into a series of cliffs or "crags" followed by a "tail" of softer rock deposited farther east.  Vegetation on the hill is considered semi-natural ancient woodland.  Dominant trees on Gillies Hill include Platanus, Betula, Fagus, Larix, Picea, Quercus, and Salix spp.

Preliminary Checklist of the Bryophyte Flora of Gillie's Hill, Cambusbaron, Scotland

Field work at Gillie's Hill was conducted during July of 2008 and 2011.  Over the course of these two summers approximately 250 voucher samples were collected. Identifications have been completed on most of those samples, and the results are in the checklist that follows. Nomenclature follows Smith (2004) for the Bryophyta, and Paton (1999) for the Marchantiophyta. 

BRYOPHYTA (Mosses):  48 species (including 5 varieties) in 32 genera, and 19 families

 Brachytheciaceae 

  • Eurhynchium striatum (Schreb. ex Hedw.) Schimp.

  • Kindbergia praelonga (Hedw.) Ochyra

  • Pseudoscleropodium purum (Hedw.) Fleisch. in Broth.

  • Scleropodium cespitans (Wilson ex Müll. Hal.) L.F. Koch

 Bryaceae               

  • Bryum capillare Hedw. var. capillare

  • Bryum pallescens Schleich. ex Schwägr.

  • Bryum pseudotriquetrum (Hedw.) P. Gaertn., B. Mey. & Scherb.

 Dicranaceae          

  • Dicranella heteromalla (Hedw.) Schimp.

  • Dicranum majus Turner

  • Dicranum scoparium Hedw.

 Ditrichaceae          

  • Ceratodon purpureus (Hedw.) Brid.

  • Ditrichum heteromallum (Hedw.) E. Britton

 Fissidentaceae      

  • Fissidens bryoides Hedw.

  • Fissidens celticus J.A. Paton

  • Fissidens curnovii Mitt.

  • Fissidens dubius P. Beauv.

  • Fissidens taxifolius Hedw. var. taxifolius

 Fontinalaceae        

  • Fontinalis antipyretica (Hedw.) var. gigantea (Sull.) Sull.

 Funariaceae          

  • Funaria hygrometrica Hedw.

 Grimmiaceae        

  • Grimmia donniana Sm.

  • Racomitrium aciculare (Hedw.) Brid.

  • Racomitrium heterostichum (Hedw.) Brid.

  • Racomitrium sudeticum (Funck) Bruch and Schimp

 Hookeriaceae       

  • Hookeria lucens (Hedw.) Sm.

 Hylocomiaceae     

  • Rhytidiadelphus squarrosus (Hedw.) Warnst.

  • Rhytidiadelphus subpinnatus (Lindb. ) T.J. Kop.

 Mniaceae               

  • Mnium hornum Hedw.

  • Plagiomnium rostratum (Schrad.) T.J. Kop.

  • Plagiomnium undulatum (Hedw.) T.J. Kop.

  • Rhizomnium punctatum (Hedw.) T.J. Kop.

 Orthotrichaceae   

  • Orthotrichum affine Schrad. ex Brid.

  • Ulota crispa (Hedw.) Brid.

 Plagiotheciaceae   

  • Plagiothecium undulatum (Hedw.) Schimp.

 Polytrichaceae      

  • Atrichum undulatum (Hedw.) P. Beauv. var. undulatum

  • Pogonatum cf. aloides (Hedw.) P. Beauv.

  • Pogonatum urnigerum (Hedw.) P. Beauv.

  • Polytrichum commune Hedw. var. commune

  • Polytrichum piliferum Hedw.

  • Polytrichastrum alpinum (Hedw.) G.L. Sm.

  • Polytrichastrum formosum (Hedw.) G.L. Sm.

 Pottiaceae             

  • Barbula unguiculata Hedw.

  • Campylopus introflexus (Hedw.) Brid.

 Pterigynandraceae                                 

  • Heterocladium flaccidum (Milde) A.J.E. Sm.

  • Heterocladium heteropterum (Bruch ex Schwägr.) Schimp

 Rhabdoweisiaceae

  • Dicranoweisia cirrata (Hedw.) Lindb. in Milde

  • Dicranoweisia crispula (Hedw.) Milde

 Thamnobryaceae  

  • Thamnobryum alopecurum (Hedw.) Gangulee

 Thuidiaceae           

  • Thuidium tamariscinum (Hedw.) Schimp.

MARCHANTOPHYTA (liverworts): 22 species (including 2 varieties) in 16 genera, and 15 families

 Calypogeiaceae    

  • Calypogeia muelleriana (Schiffn.) K. Muell.

Conocephalaceae  

  • Conocephalum conicum (L.) Dumort.

 Frullaniaceae        

  • Frullania microphylla (Gottsche) Pearson var. microphylla

 Geocalycaeae       

  • Chiloscyphus polyanthos (L.) Corda

 Jungermanniaceae

  • Barbilophozia hatcheri (Evans) Loeske

 Lepidoziaceae       

  • Lepidozia reptans (L.) Dumort.

 Lophocoleaceae    

  • Lophocolea bidentata (L.) Dumort.

  • Lophocolea heterophylla (Schrad.) Dum.

 Marchantiaceae    

  • Marchantia polymorpha L. subsp. ruderalis Bischl. & Boisselier

 Metzgeriaceae      

  • Metzgeria furcata (L.) Dum.

 Pallavacineaceae  

  • Pallavicinia lyellii (Hook.) Carruth.

 Pelliaceae              

  • Pellia cf. endiviifolia (Dicks.) Dumort.

  • Pellia cf. epiphylla (L.) Corda

  • Pellia neesiana (Gottsche) Limpr.

 Plagiochilaceae     

  • Plagiochila asplenioides (L.) Dumort.

  • Plagiochila cf. porelloides (Torr. ex Nees) Lindenb.

 Ptilidiaceae           

  • Ptilidium ciliare (L.) Hampe

 Radulaceae           

  • Radula cf. complanata (L.) Dumort.

 Scapaniaceae        

  • Diplophyllum albicans (L.) Dumort.

  • Scapania compacta (Roth) Dumort.

  • Scapania nemorea (L.) Grolle

  • Scapania scandica (Arnell & H. Buch) Macvicar

References

Paton, J.A. 1999. The Liverwort Flora of the British Isles. Harley Books, Colchester.

Smith, A.J.E. 2004. The Moss Flora of Britain. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.