Calycularia laxa
Marchantiophyta
Calycularia laxa (Calyculariaceae)
Rare
Distinguishing Features
Seemingly restricted to timberline and tundra-like habitats, the rare Calycularia laxa is a a frilly light-green simple thalloid liverwort that forms horizontal patches with upturned margins that can grow to more than 5 cm long and up to 5 mm wide. Male and female plants are seperate, but on both, the upper surface is adorned with small toothy scales and the lower surface is subtended by purple-pink scales (see photo), which are unique to this species among simple thalloid liverworts of this region.
Similar species
Aneura, Blasia, Pellia, Apopellia and Moerckia can all mimic the size and shape of C. laxa, but none of those taxa bear the characteristic pink-purple scales on the underside of the thallus.
Habitat
Associated species