scalewort

Bryophytes are small, nonvascular, spore-producing plants. “Bryophyte” is not a proper taxonomic term but it is widely used by botanists. It includes mosses, liverworts, and hornworts.

Frullania is a genus of leafy liverworts. It is common and very widespread (cosmopolitan), occurring on every continent including Greenland and Antarctica. Most North American species grow on the bark of trees, shrubs, and vines. They are often overlooked due to their very small size.

Frullania plants may be green, yellowish-brown, copper-red, or black, but they usually have some reddish-purple coloration. On most species, the leaf at the tip if the each branch has its upper (dorsal) half-leaf usually inserted into the stem but not also into the branch. The primary branch appendages are egg lance-shaped (ovate-lanceolate) and have 2 or 3 lobes. The spores, visible only under a microscope, have distinct rosettes of small rounded projections (tubercles).

Sources

4, 24, 29, 30.

Location: Cass County