Anthoceros fusiformis
Anthocerotophyta
Anthoceros fusiformis (Anthocerotaceae)
Austins hornwort
Dark spore long horn
Locally frequent
Distinguishing Features
Ephemeral but frequent, this dark green Anthoceros has a fluted and heavily dissected thallus that can range from dime-to-quarter-sized in the seasonally saturated fine sediments on which it thrives. When fertile, it has a towering (5-10cm) horn emerging from the thallus that produces black spores, giving the entire structure a dark palour. The dark spores have characteristic spikes (echinate) seen under the microscope.
Similar species
When fertile, the dark sporophytes and black spore mass seperate A. fusiformis from Phaeoceros oreganus and Paraphymatoceros pearsonii, species with yellow spores and sporophytes that have a less dissected thallus. A. fusiformis lacks the asexual bulbils present on the underside of Phymatoceros bulbicosus. A. punctatus can not be distinguished from A. fusiformis without microscopic examination of the mature spores.
Habitat
Fine sediment seeps, seasonally saturated banks, ditches and rock crevices. Locally frequent in SW BC.
Associated species
Fissidens crispus, Fissidens bryoides, Timmiella crassinervis, Rosulabryum canariense, Kindbergia praelonga, Atrichum selwynii among others