Help finding liverworts

11 years ago

Due to some classes I have taken within my major, I have become increasingly fascinated with Bryophytes, specifically liverworts. I live in the Kansas City area of Missouri; it's mostly suburban but there are some areas of deep forest/creeks/lakes/etc. Recently I have been going out and looking for liverworts, as I've never actually seen one in nature. I feel as if I'm looking in the right place (I go down to this large creek in the middle of a deep forest. Soil is moist, lots of trees and such.) I found many different mosses and lichens, yet no liverworts. I guess mainly when I look for them, I find myself often looking for the stereotypical thallose liverwort. Regardless, if any of you could point me in the right direction that would be great. I have an eBook on the different species of moss, liverworts, and lichens, so they obviously exist in Missouri, but do they exist around the Kansas City area? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

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Comments (5)

lycopus
11 years ago
The leafy liverworts can be mistaken for mosses. Bazzania trilobata often creates mounds at the bottom of trees in wet areas. Another easy one to find is Nowellia curvifolia which is sometimes called wood rust because it is red when dry and grows on the tops of very well-rotted logs. I also sometimes see leafy liverworts growing on the trunks of trees with mosses and lichens. They can be distinguished by the overlapping pattern of the leaves. If you can find a seepy rocky outcrop that is a good place to look for thallose liverworts, places like where they cut through rocks to build a road. In still water around lakes and ponds you might also find some Riccia sp.
Laurel Zito
11 years ago
I had liverwurts, they are a bad weed. It took forever to wipe them out. I had to stop recomposting them.

Here is a link that might be useful: liverwurts can be seen bottom of this photo
Laurel Zito
11 years ago
I have some liverworts growing in a sideway crack now, and I don't know where they came from, but at first I welcomed them and they got out of control. They must some how come via air as no one put them there. Some times they come inside the soil of a plant one buys. I don't know if they can be dug up and transplanted, but probably if I scrape them out they can be transplanted. The seem to come from soil that has them already, so new ones may grow it they are moved to other soil. I don't know if they can be grow as ground covers with better management.
denninmi
11 years ago
Go skulking around at local greenhouses/garden centers. Liverworts are a common "weed" in potted tropical plants, perennials, and nursery stock that is held for a while. The longer it's been sitting around not sold, the more likely liverworts are to pop up in there. Very, very common to see these in the soil in potted plants at greenhouses, especially the older, dumpy "mom and pop" operations that aren't very good at keeping things tidy.
Laurel Zito
11 years ago
I think he is looking to see them in nature, not sure. I have never seen them in nature, but have in potted plants. They make the soil hard and water won't go in, but the sort of block other weeds at the same time.