Bazzania trilobata
Marchantiophyta
Bazzania trilobata (Lepidoziaceae)
Greater Whipplewort
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Infrequent
Distinguishing Features
An eye-catching plant of wet boggy ground, Bazzania trilobata has wide (3-6 mm) leafy green shoots that fork evenly at their tips. The leaves have have a rectangular shape and terminate in three shallow triangular points (see photo). The underleaves should have 3-4 sharp albeit lobes that should be visible with a hand lens.
Similar species
Other large species of Bazzania (B. tricrenata, B. griffithiana) are yellow brown in colour in contrast to the emerald hues of B. trilobata. The other green species in the genus (B. denudata, B. ambigua, B. pearsonii) all have leafy shoots narrower than 2 mm.
Habitat
Moist to mesic, usually shady humus, rock outcrops, cliffs, boulders, and bogs in the lowland and montane zones
Associated species
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