Anastrophyllum donnianum

Anastrophyllum donnianum
Phylum: Marchantiophyta
Synonyms: Bazzania donniana (Hook.) Trevis., Jungermannia donniana Hook.
Common NameDonn's Notchwort
Quick & Dirty IDXXXXXX
© Matt Goff
iNaturalist
© Matt Goff
iNaturalist
© Connor Wardrop
iNaturalist
© Connor Wardrop
iNaturalist

Distinguishing Features

A dark, red-brown, carpet forming liverwort, A. donnianum is regionally anomalous on account of having long, wide-spreading leaves that are only shallowly notched; the two lobes are seperated by a sinus that is less than 1/8th of the leaf’s length. Leafy shoots are up to 10 cm long and 4 mm wide, the leaves appearing as though attached across the width of the stem. Close inspection with a hand lens shows leaf tissues running down the length of the stem on the upper surface (“decurrent”) and attaching at a slightly oblique angle on the lower surface. Underleaves and gemmae are absent and the concave leaves have a tendency to orient themselves to one side of the stem (“secund”).

Similar species

No other regional species of Anastrophyllum has such shallowly lobed leaves. Barbilophozia kunzeana can grow in the same habitats and has short lobes, but underleaves are present in that species and absent in Anastrophyllum donnianum.

Habitat

Moist to wet humus, rock outcrops, cliffs, seepage sites, bogs, fens, heath, and tundra in the lowland, montane, subalpine, and alpine zones; infrequent in coastal BC [Haida Gwaii, north coast].

Associated species

XXXXXX

Distribution Map

Relevant Literature