Pleurozia purpurea
| Common Name | Purple Spoonwort |
| Frequency | Locally Frequent |
Image Gallery
Distinguishing Features
The unmistakeable purple, horizontal shoots of Pleurozia creep out around rock and hummock bases in bogscapes of the open coast. With shoots up to 8 cm long and 3.5 mm wide, it is amongst the largest liverworts in the region, composed of lateral leaves that look simple and smooth from the top. Turning the shoot over reveals a sac-like lobule on the underside of the leaf as well as conspicuous teeth. The lobule has been shown to have a trapping mechanism with it’s sac-like interior often filled with small invertebrates. As such, it has been interpreted as a “carnivorous” liverwort.
Similar species
Due to its size and colour, there are few liverworts that could be mistaken for Pleurozia purpurea. Some species of Scapania (S. undulata, S. ornithopodioides, S. uliginosa) can occur in the same habitat and show purple coloration, but all of these have a distinct upper leaf lobe that is smaller than the lower leaf lobe, and both lobes can be seen looking top-down. In Pleurozia, only the larger upper lobe can be seen from the top-down, while the smaller lower lobe takes the form of a sac and can only be seen from the undersides of the shoot.
Habitat
Bogs
Associated species
Campylopus atrovirens
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.