| Metzgeria furcata | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Marchantiophyta |
| Class: | Jungermanniopsida |
| Order: | Metzgeriales |
| Family: | Metzgeriaceae |
| Genus: | Metzgeria |
| Species: | M. furcata |
| Binomial name | |
| Metzgeria furcata | |
Metzgeria furcata, the forked veilwort, [1] is a frequent liverwort growing on the bark of a wide range of tree and shrub species and occasionally on rocks. [2] It is a slim, translucent thallose liverwort forming yellow-green mats of branches about 1mm wide.
Metzgeria furcata has a midrib which is clearly visible over the rest of the thallus (which is 1mm wide), which also extends to the tip of the thallus, although without an excurrent nerve. The defining characteristic is definitely the fact that the thalli and the midrib fork at the end, which is visible on most patches. The Forked Veilwort rarely makes sporophytes, although on the underside of quite a few patches an inflorescence can be found. [2]
Found over the whole of the British Isles, but less widely in Ireland and some parts of the Scottish Highlands. Found on Scilly, Shetland, Orkney and the Isle of Man. [3]
Apometzgeria pubescens is very hairy and Metzgeria fruticulosa and M. temperata constantly have gemmae on the thalli. M. conjugata grows on rock, and M. furcata can sometimes grow on rock too, but M. conjugata has thalli that are twice as wide as M. furcata and the margins are much more turned down. [2]
Lichenology is the branch of mycology that studies the lichens, symbiotic organisms made up of an intimate symbiotic association of a microscopic alga with a filamentous fungus.
The Marchantiophyta are a division of non-vascular land plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information.
Marchantia is a genus of liverworts in the family Marchantiaceae and the order Marchantiales.
Metzgeriales is an order of liverworts. The group is sometimes called the simple thalloid liverworts: "thalloid" because the members lack structures resembling stems or leaves, and "simple" because their tissues are thin and relatively undifferentiated. All species in the order have a small gametophyte stage and a smaller, relatively short-lived, spore-bearing stage. Although these plants are almost entirely restricted to regions with high humidity or readily available moisture, the group as a whole is widely distributed, and occurs on every continent except Antarctica.
Riccia is a genus of liverworts in the order Marchantiales.
Marsupella profunda, the western rustwort, is a liverwort native to Europe and known only from Portugal and Great Britain (Cornwall) and has been sighted in the Canary Islands. It is a small reddish liverwort and can be confused with Marsupella sprucei which has a more widespread distribution.
Marchantia polymorpha, sometimes known as the common liverwort or umbrella liverwort, is a large liverwort with a wide distribution around the world. It is variable in appearance and has several subspecies. It is dioicous, having separate male and female plants.
Pellia epiphylla is a species of thallose liverwort. It occurs in North America, Europe, North Africa and parts of Asia. It grows in patches in damp, sheltered places on neutral or acidic substrates. It is common on the banks of rivers, streams and ditches and also grows in wet woodland, marshes and on wet rocks.
Sphagnum palustre, the prairie sphagnum or blunt-leaved bogmoss, is a species of peat moss from the genus Sphagnum, in the family Sphagnaceae. Like other mosses of this type it can soak up water up to the 30-fold amount of its own dry weight thanks to its elastic spiral fibers. S. palustre is rather frequent and is spread almost all over the world. It mainly grows in wet forests and—compared to other specimens of this genus—rarely grows in moors.
Sphaerocarpos texanus, the Texas balloonwort, is a species of liverwort in the Sphaerocarpaceae family, found in the Americas, northern Africa and Europe.
Conocephalum conicum, the great scented liverwort, common mushroom-headed liverwort or snakeskin liverwort, is a liverwort species in the genus Conocephalum .
Petalophyllum ralfsii, the petalwort, is a liverwort of the order Fossombroniales. It is a small green bryophyte that occurs in the Mediterranean region as far east as Turkey, and along the Atlantic coast of Europe as far as northwest Scotland. It grows primarily on moist sand dunes.
Mylia taylorii, or Taylor's flapwort, is a species of leafy liverwort.
Crustose lichens form a crust that strongly adheres to the substrate, making separation from the substrate impossible without destruction. The basic structure of crustose lichens consists of a cortex layer, an algal layer, and a medulla. The upper cortex layer is differentiated and is usually pigmented. The algal layer lies beneath the cortex. The medulla fastens the lichen to the substrate and is made up of fungal hyphae. The surface of crustose lichens is characterized by branching cracks that periodically close in response to climatic variations such as alternate wetting and drying regimes.
Racomitrium lanuginosum is a widespread species of moss found in montane and arctic tundra across the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It grows as large mats on exposed rock and in boulder scree, particularly on acidic rocks. Its leaves have a characteristically decurrent and toothed hair-point, which gives rise to its regional common names woolly fringemoss, hoary rock-moss and woolly moss.
Lophocolea heterophylla, the variable-leaved crestwort, is a liverwort species belonging to the order Jungermanniales, which is the largest liverwort order.
Rhizomnium punctatum, also called dotted thyme-moss, is a small species in the genus Rhizomnium.
Marchesinia mackaii, or MacKay's pouncewort, is a species of leafy liverwort.
Petalophyllum, or petalwort, is a genus of liverworts in the order Fossombroniales.
Asterella californica is a complex thallic liverwort in the phylum Marchantiophyta. A. californica often grows as colonies of flat rosettes of light green, rigid thalli, with undersides dark wine-red to nearly black. The receptacles are rounded, with four lobes each bearing a single sporangium sheathed by a white tattered skirt. A. californica is dioecious with separate male plants often intermingled with female plants. This species is found throughout California from San Francisco southward to San Diego and Guadalupe Island. Asterella californica is the commonest species of the three species of Asterella occurring in California; the other two species are A. bolanderi and A. palmeri.