Riccia cavernosa Liverwort, S1

This afternoon, 20 August 2013, I went for a botany walk in South Glenmore Park with a couple of friends. Part of the walk was down by the edge of the Glenmore Reservoir, on the dried mud from the Flood of the Century in June. Sandy discovered this quite attractive, tiny Liverwort (non-vascular plant), called Riccia cavernosa. This species is listed as an S1, which means that it is known from five or fewer occurrences or especially vulnerable to extirpation because of other factor(s). Nicely found, Sandy! Nearby, there were a couple of pink ones, presumably the same species? This is a supermacro photo of a very small specimen that was maybe half to three-quarters of an inch across, (Sandy has a Licence to collect).

"In ancient times, it was believed that liverworts cured diseases of the liver, hence the name. In Old English, the word liverwort literally means liver plant. This probably stemmed from the superficial appearance of some thalloid liverworts (which resemble a liver in outline), and led to the common name of the group as hepatics, from the Latin word hēpaticus for "belonging to the liver". An unrelated flowering plant, Hepatica, is sometimes also referred to as liverwort because it was once also used in treating diseases of the liver. This archaic relationship of plant form to function was based in the "Doctrine of Signatures".

The greatest impact of Liverworts is through the reduction of erosion along streambanks, their collection and retention of water in tropical forests, and the formation of soil crusts in deserts and polar regions. However, a few species are used by humans directly. A few species, such as Riccia fluitans, are aquatic thallose liverworts sold for use in aquariums. Their thin, slender branches float on the water's surface and provide habitat for both small invertebrates and the fish that feed on them." From Wikipedia.

www.bbsfieldguide.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/liverworts/Riccia_cavernosa.pdf

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchantiophyta