Calypogeia suecica
Marchantiophyta
Calypogeia suecica (Calypogeiaceae)
Swedish Pouchwort
Tiny shingles on wood
Obscure
Distinguishing Features
A rarely noticed species of decaying wood in coniferous forests, C. suecica is a tiny (~ 1 mm wide) pale-green plant with two rows of round leaves that overlap in a shingle-like fashion. Close inspection with a hand lens should reveal an underleaf that is dissected to about half of its length and crowned by 2 or 4 somewhat sharp apices.
Similar species
On decaying wood, C. suecica is most likely to be mistaken for C. muelleriana and C. azurea, both of which are bigger species with identical leaf arrangement on the tops of the shoot. C. azurea is easy to distinguish on account of its blue hue, but smaller plants of C. muelleriana will look very similar and may need microscopic examination to detect subtle differences in underleaf shape (more acute in C. suecica) and oil body form (segmented oil bodies are known in both species, but only C. suecica has them alongside simple oil bodies).
Habitat
Decaying wood
Associated species
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