Sematophyllum substrumulosum (Musci, Sematophyllaceae), new for the Belgian Flora

Sematophyllum substrumulosum (Musci, Sematophyllaceae), new for the Belgian flora. - Sematophyllum substrumulosum was found in 1998 as an epiphyte on a willow in Kapellen (province of Antwerp), near the Dutch border, the firs t record for the species in Belgium. This mediterranean and Macaronesian sp ecies occurs as far north as the southwest of France and was recently disco vered in western England. The plant is described and illustrated and is pro ved to be very similar to specimens from southern Europe. Its ecology, as w ell as the differences with other members of the genus, with Rhynchostegium confertum and Hypnum spec, are outlined. A distribution map is given for E urope and Macaronesia. It is concluded that the species is not an introduct ion, but that it may have been neglected.