Marsupella sparsifolia
| Common Name | Rounded Rustwort |
| Quick & Dirty ID | XXXXXX |
Image Gallery
Distinguishing Features
A dark green to scorched infrequent species of montane to arctic habitats, Marsupella sparsifolia forms mats of nearly erect, short shoots up to one centimeter tall and roughly one millimeter wide. The neatly-arranged divergent leaves are wider than the stem, bilobed with round lobes, acute sinus and plane margins. This species is reliably fertile, and antheridia can be found cupped in leaves below the enlarged shoot tips where the developing archegonia and/or sporophytes may be found (“Paroicous”).
Similar species
The dark, scorched, bilobed leaves that are free from the stem puts this species in league with Marsupella sphacelata. That species, however, has leaf lobe apices that are rounded, whereas in M. sparsifolia, the leaf lobe apices are acute.
Habitat
Moist to wet rock outcrops, cliffs, ledges, crevices, and boulders in the lowland, montane, and subalpine zones
Associated species
XXXXXX
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.