REGIONAL MEETINGS - Natural History Museum

GROUP OF EUROPEAN PTERIDOLOGISTS (GEP) EXCURSION
Brittany, France – 19-23 August Pat Acock
This year’s excursion to Brittany was based in Finistère and was hosted by our good friends
Rémy and Annie Prelli. It was 15 years since the BPS had its first excursion to this part of
the world, one of our first international trips that led to the formation of the GEP. We met
on Friday night for dinner and were introduced to many new friends.
Next day we explored around Le Cap Sizun, visiting firstly the Pointe du Raz to see a splendid
cave on the sea cliffs with the walls and floor covered in Trichomanes speciosum
gametophytes. On the Pointe de Penharn we found beautiful colonies of Asplenium marinum
and A. obovatum subsp. obovatum and this was followed by a group of A. obovatum subsp.
lanceolatum among a Neolithic set of standing stones. After being sufficiently refreshed with
tea and the local pastries in Chateaulin we wandered around the town to see a large collection of
ferns, most notably Polypodium cambricum and Asplenium obovatum x A. adiantum-nigrum.
On Sunday we parked in the church of Saint Herbot but to the priest’s disappointment we
descended to the ‘Chaos’ of rocks, where, after much searching by many people, we
eventually found a small colony of Hymenophyllum wilsonii. There was a considerable
amount of H. tunbrigense and we also saw Oreopteris limbosperma and Dryopteris aemula.
After lunch we visited Roc’h Trédudon to see both Lycopodiella inundata and Lycopodium
clavatum. On to Ménez Kador and we added Osmunda regalis in this boggy countryside.
The day ended with our host buying a round of drinks in Pleyben.
On Monday our first destination was the Conservatoire Botanique National de Brest. We
were taken around the glasshouse area where rare plants from many isolated islands from
around the world are conserved. One plant has already been used to recolonise an island
after having become extinct there. The collection housed a large number of ferns including
Polystichum drepanum from Madeira. Following this we had a lecture from Sandrine Loriot
on Trichomanes speciosum.
We left to move on to the beautiful Forêt du Cranou. Here in shady forest rides we found
some magnificent Dryopteris aemula and D. affinis subspp. affinis and borreri. In a second
wood at Bois du Nivot we added Polypodium interjectum and P. vulgare.
On Tuesday we visited the Crozon Peninsular with its breathtaking rocky capes. Most
notable was the Cap de la Chèvre, where most managed the steep climb down to be
rewarded by Osmunda regalis, Adiantum capillus-veneris and Asplenium obovatum subsp.
lanceolatum. Later, while examining a charming lane that could have been in Cornwall
for Asplenium obovatum subsp. lanceolatum, A. adiantum-nigrum and A. onopteris, Paul
Ripley and I strayed a little further and found a well. While looking for hybrids of the aforementioned
spleenworts, I leaned too far forward and my GPS fell ten feet down the well
into eight feet of water, causing much amusement to the villagers. From here we went to
look at Polypodium cambricum in the charming village of Landévennec, where we rounded
off the tour with drinks outside in the sunshine.
We must pay tribute to both Annie and Rémy Prelli for a most excellent meeting in this
beautiful part of France. The programme was very carefully arranged to show the maximum
number of ferns in the confines of Finistère with the minimum of travel and the maximum
of time to talk to each other and enjoy the places together.
In 2006 we hope to go to Madeira. If you are interested in joining the GEP annual excursion
please contact Prof. Ronnie Viane, Dept. of Morphology, Systematics and Ecology,
Section: Pteridology, K.L. Ledeganckstraat 35, Gent, B-9000 Belgium. E-mail:
Ronnie.viane@rug.ac.be; Tel. & Fax: +329-2645057.
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