Gymnomitrion concinnatum
| Common Name | Braided Frostwort |
| Frequency | Infrequent |
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Distinguishing Features
A less common species of subalpine rock, G. concinnatum occurs as white wormy shoots to 2 cm long that occasionally branch as they loosely wend along the bases and in the crevices of bedrock. It has leaves that are pale whitish-green, tightly overlapping and made up of two equal lobes that terminate in a point. Under the microscope, oil bodies will be present in fresh leaves.
Similar species
The only other white-hued liverworts in the region belong to the genus Anthelia, which is an order of magnitude smaller. While A. julacea and A. juratzkana can occur in similair alpine environments and show tightly overlapping leaves, the leaves are deeply divided (more than 2/3rd their length) compare to species of Gymnomitrion, which are typically divided to about 1/3rd their length. See table for comparison to other regional species of Gymnomitrion.
Habitat
Dry to wet cliffs, rock outcrops, ledges, crevices, boulders, mineral soil, humus, snowbed sites, heath, and tundra in the montane, subalpine, and alpine zones
Associated species
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Distribution Map
Relevant Literature
- Godfrey, J.D. (1977). Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of southwestern British Columbia . [Doctoral dissertation, University of British Columbia]. UBC cIRcle.
- Hong, W. S. (2007). Scapania. In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (Eds.), Flora of North America North of Mexico (Vol. 3) . Oxford University Press.
- Wagner, D. H. (2013). Guide to the liverworts of Oregon: Scapania undulata . Oregon State University Herbarium.