Kurzia makinoana
Marchantiophyta
Kurzia makinoana (Lepidoziaceae)
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Frequent
Distinguishing Features
In its ideal world of permanently moist decaying organic matter, K. makinoana presents itself as an almost imperceptiple transluscent dark green fuzz that calls to mind only one word: tiny. With a hand lens, the 3-4-lobes of each leaf are sharply tipped, converging at a leaf base that diverges from the stem at 90 degrees. In order confidently identify this species, a microscope is neccessary to observe the underleaves, which are typically reduced to 1-2 lobes accompanied by 1-2 amorphous bumps ("slime papillae"– see photograph).
Similar species
Sorting out species of Kurzia is always going to require high magnification on account of their small size. On account of its small size and tiny, almost filamentous leaf-lobes, K. makinoana can be mistaken for species of Blepharostoma or Lepidozia, both of which can occur in the same habitats. Blepharostoma species have leaf lobes that are 1-cell wide and divided completely to the base of the leaf. In K. makinoana, the lobes are 1-celled at their tip but broaden to 2 (or more) cells towards their base, which is found at about three-quarters down the leaf’s length. Lepidozia species have 3-4 lobed lateral leaves, the leaf itself being divided only to about 1/2 its length into lobes that are 4+ cells wide at their base. Kurzia pauciflora is a species exclusive to open bogs and has 4-lobed underleaves compared to the wider ecological range and 1-2 lobed underleaves of K. makinoana. Distinguishing K. trichoclados requires microscopic examination of the ornamentation of the leaves surrounding the developing reproductive organs.
Habitat
Moist to wet humus, rock outcrops, cliffs, ledges, decayed wood, seepage sites, streambanks, peatlands, bogs, and swamps in the lowland, montane, and subalpine zones
Associated species
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