Calypogeia arguta
Corfe Common SSSI, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset
This tiny liverwort is common on bare, acidic soil and damp, decaying wood. It can be recognised by its leaf tips, which are divided into two teeth, and the usually abundant presence of pale green gemmae at the shoot tips.
C. arguta is very widespread in southern England, and often abundant in suitable sites.
C. arguta is very widespread in southern England, and often abundant in suitable sites.
Frullania fragilifolia
Valley of Stones NNR, Dorset
East Weares, Portland, Dorset
This tiny Frullania is confined to the coast in Dorset, where it occurs on dry rocks kept humid by the sea air. Here, it grows alongside other oceanic species such as Marchesinia (see below).
I've described the species in more detail in the Liverworts of Scotland section of the site.
Across southern England, this species is generally rare, with most sites in Devon and Cornwall.
I've described the species in more detail in the Liverworts of Scotland section of the site.
Across southern England, this species is generally rare, with most sites in Devon and Cornwall.
Frullania tamarisci
East Weares, Portland, Dorset
This attractive, common Frullania is described in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site.
In southern England, this species is widely recorded from along the south coast.
In southern England, this species is widely recorded from along the south coast.
Lophocolea heterophylla
Valley of Stones NNR, Dorset
A very common liverwort at lower altitudes throughout Britain, L. heterophylla is rather similar to the even more common L. bidentata but differs in having almost unlobed leaves on its shoots. Occasional leaves are bilobed, but L. bidentata never has entire or even retuse (slightly notched) leaves. Both species are found in a wide variety of habitats, although L. heterophylla does not occur directly on rocks and needs some residual dampness where it grows.
Marchesinia mackaii
Portland, Dorset
Very much an oceanic speciality, Marchesinia is rare in Dorset, but locally abundant in scree around Portland. Across southern England, it is largely restricted to coastal Devon and Cornwall, with a single record from the Isle of Wight.
The species is described more fully in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site.
in habitat
The species is described more fully in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site.
in habitat
Metzgeria furcata
East Weares, Portland, Dorset
This common species is described in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site.
Sphagnum papillosum
Hartland Moor NNR, Dorset
This widespread Sphagnum of bogs and mires is described in the Bryophytes of the Lake District and Cumbria section of the site.
Sphagnum pulchrum
Hartland Moor NNR, Dorset
Very much a speciality of the Dorset heaths, Sphagnum pulchrum is a beautiful moss, forming coppery-brown patches in pristine wet heath habitat. Its neatly-arranged branch leaves are also very distinctive, and this species cannot really be confused with any other.
in habitat
in habitat
Polytrichum juniperinum
Valley of Stones NNR, Dorset
Text coming soon!
Campylopus brevipilus
Hartland Moor NNR, Dorset
Text coming soon!
Isothecium myosuroides
Valley of Stones NNR, Dorset
Garston Wood RSPB Reserve, Dorset
Ceratodon purpureus
Valley of Stones NNR, Dorset
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Mnium hornum
Valley of Stones NNR, Dorset
Thuidium tamarascinum
Valley of Stones NNR, Dorset
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Campylopus introflexus
Valley of Stones NNR, Dorset
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Funaria hygrometrica
Garston Wood RSPB Reserve, Dorset
Text coming soon!
Hedwigia stellata
Valley of Stones NNR, Dorset
text coming soon
Kindbergia praelonga
Garston Wood RSPB Reserve, Dorset
This very common woodland species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Radula complanata
Garston Wood RSPB Reserve, Dorset
This common woodland species is described in the Liverworts of Derbyshire section of the site.
Grimmia pulvinata
This extremely common species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Aulacomnium palustre
Corfe Common SSSI, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset
This common species of damp, acidic habitats is described in the Mosses of Scotland section of the site.
Calliergonella cuspidata
Corfe Common SSSI, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset
This very common species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Palustriella sp
Corfe Common SSSI, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset
Text coming soon!
Campylium stellatum
Corfe Common SSSI, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset
This species is described in the Mosses of Derbyshire section of the site.
Pleuridium acuminatum
Corfe Common SSSI, Isle of Purbeck, Dorset
Text coming soon
Riccia nigrella
Lizard Point, Cornwall
This tiny species is one of mainland Britain's rarest Riccias, restricted to the Lizard in Cornwall and two sites in Wales. Like some other Lizard species, it is more widespread on the Scilly Isles.
R. nigrella grows in bare along paths on compacted soil. It tends to disappear in the summer as its habitat dries out, but the wet summer of 2023 allowed me to see these thriving plants in early August.
Identifying R. nigrella is fairly straightforward - it has a darker colour than typical R. sorocarpa, with which it can grow) and the thalli are narrower and more oval in outline, with dark margins that become obvious as the plants dry out.
R. nigrella grows in bare along paths on compacted soil. It tends to disappear in the summer as its habitat dries out, but the wet summer of 2023 allowed me to see these thriving plants in early August.
Identifying R. nigrella is fairly straightforward - it has a darker colour than typical R. sorocarpa, with which it can grow) and the thalli are narrower and more oval in outline, with dark margins that become obvious as the plants dry out.
Riccia beyrichiana
Mullion Cliff, Lizard, Cornwall
Text coming soon!
Nationally, R. beyrichiana is very rare. Strongholds are the far west of Cornwall, south and west Wales and the southern Lake District. There are also many older records from western Scotland and coastal Ireland.
Nationally, R. beyrichiana is very rare. Strongholds are the far west of Cornwall, south and west Wales and the southern Lake District. There are also many older records from western Scotland and coastal Ireland.
Fossombronia husnotii (F. caespitiformis ssp.multispira)
Mullion Cliff, Lizard, Cornwall
Another specialist of mild, southern parts of Britain, F. husnotii can be locally common on the Lizard, where it grows on compacted soil patches around serpentine outcrops. It is a perennial species, dying back in dry summers to persistent stems (visible as grey-white patches in these photos). In wet summers, plants are visible for much of the year.
Identifying this species is straightforward - it has colourless rhizoids, unlike all other British Fossombronias. Some authors consider F. husnotii to be a form of F. caespitiformis.
Identifying this species is straightforward - it has colourless rhizoids, unlike all other British Fossombronias. Some authors consider F. husnotii to be a form of F. caespitiformis.