A patch of a Radula liverwort species growing on the rough bark of a recently felled tree in Devon. The bark surface is cracked and textured. In this area it is likely to be Even Scalewort (Radula complanata). This leafy liverwort spreads across the bark surface as a thin, bright green mat, forming low, overlapping shoots that creep flat against the bark. The colony is a few centimetres across, with individual shoots only a few millimetres long. The leaves are arranged in two rows and overlap like tiny rounded tiles, giving the plant a softly scalloped, layered appearance. Intermixed with this are darker, more reddish-brown patches of another liverwort, forming tighter, slightly shinier shoots consistent with Dilated Scalewort (Frullania dilatata). Also present are narrower, strap-like green ribbons of a thallose liverwort, likely Forked Veilwort (Metzgeria furcata), lying flatter and more translucent against the bark. Also present is a small Ulota moss species. Together, these plants form a mixed bryophyte community on the exposed wood, sharing the same damp surface and light.
I noticed this rounded liverwort on a recently felled tree.
In my area it is likely to be Even Scalewort (Radula complanata).
Devon at the weekend.
#liverwort #bryophyte