clings to the rough bark of old trees
- Size
- Width: 2–5 cm
- Lifespan
- 3–7 years
- Diet
- Photosynthetic. Requires consistent moisture, high humidity, and stable bark surfaces. Prefers rough bark of native trees in old-growth forest with stable microclimate.
- Habitat
- Grows on the bark of trees, on rocks, and on wood throughout New Zealand. A creature of the bark, the trunk, the places where the tree is old and the surface is rough.
- Range
- Found throughout the North and South Islands on bark of native and introduced trees, rocks, and wood in damp, shaded forests. Most common in lowland and montane forests with high rainfall.
- Endemism
- Native
- Main Threats
- None significant. This species is common and widespread in damp, shaded forests. Localised threats include forest clearance, removal of old trees, and climate change reducing forest floor moisture.
- Population
- Not Threatened. Common frullania is common on the bark of native and introduced trees throughout New Zealand, particularly in damp, shaded forests.
- Conservation Status
- Not Threatened
- Human Risk
- harmless
- Handling Note
- common liverwort, safe to handle
- Conservation Note
- Native liverwort; not assessed by NZTCS as bryophytes are generally outside the scope of current threat classifications.
- Te Ao Māori
- No recorded Māori name distinguishes the common frullania from other liverworts. Liverworts were generally called pūkohu (mosses and lichens) or grouped with other small, damp-loving plants. The tiny, leafy mats on the bark would have been noticed. They looked like the scales of a fish. Like the pattern of a carving. But no distinct name survives. The common frullania was not used as a medicine or a dye. It was too small. Too hidden. Too easy to overlook.
The one that looks like it has OCD has stems that are creeping and branching. Forming dense, leafy mats on the bark. The leaves are tiny. Less than a millimetre long. Arranged in two rows along the stem. Overlapping like roof tiles. Each leaf is divided into two lobes. A large, rounded dorsal lobe lies flat against the bark. A smaller, inflated ventral lobe (a water sac) sticks out like a tiny balloon. The colour is dark green to reddish-brown. Often with a metallic sheen. It is the liverwort of the neat line. The one that grows in obsessive, orderly rows.
What makes it special are the water sacs. Common frullania is a leafy liverwort. It has a unique feature. Each leaf has a smaller, inflated lobe (the water sac). Shaped like a tiny helmet or balloon. These water sacs help the plant retain moisture. Storing water for dry periods. They also give the plant its distinctive, bumpy texture when viewed under a hand lens. It is the liverwort of the water balloon. The one that carries its own water supply.
The leaves are arranged in two rows along the stem. The dorsal lobes lie flat against the bark. The ventral lobes stick out to the sides. The result is a neat, overlapping pattern. Looks like a tiny, green mosaic. Or a piece of obsessive geometry. Under a microscope, the pattern is mesmerising. Each leaf perfectly positioned. Each water sac precisely inflated.
Biologically, the common frullania reproduces by spores. Released from capsules on short stalks. It also reproduces asexually via gemmae. Tiny buds that break off and grow into new plants. This dual strategy allows it to colonise new patches of bark quickly. Spreading across the tree trunk like a slow, green tide.
To find common frullania is to find the tiny, leafy mats on the tree bark. They are dark green. Tidy. Obsessive. A living geometry on the trunk. You need a hand lens to see the water sacs. The tiny balloons. The neat rows of overlapping leaves. It is the liverwort of the neat line. The one that grows in obsessive, orderly rows.