Marsupella aquatica
| Common Name | None |
| Frequency | Infrequent |
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Distinguishing Features
A species of rock in moving water, M.aquatica has green-to-brown symmetrical leaves and shoots that emerge perpendicular from their substrate. Close inspection with a hand lens shows barely bilobed (or “notched”) leaves that are wider than long and have margins that curl downwards (“recurved”).
Similar species
Marsupella aquatica has traditionally been treated as M. emarginata ssp. aquatica. It differs from M. emarginata in having a very shallow sinus (descending to about 1/5th leaf length) and leaves that are wider than long. The two can cooccur, with M. emarginata occupying the rocky margins of a stream while M. aquatica tends to grow in areas of higher stream flow, like immersed or emergent boulders in the middle of the channel. See notes under M. emarginata.
Habitat
Submerged or Seasonally exposed on rocks in lowland streams
Associated species
M. emarginata, Scapania americana, Racomitrium aciculare, Blindia acuta
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.