mats the damp bark with tiny leaves
- Size
- Width: 2–5 cm
- Lifespan
- 3–7 years
- Diet
- Photosynthetic. Draws energy from sunlight. Requires consistent moisture high humidity and stable bark surfaces in old-growth forest.
- Habitat
- Grows on bark of trees rocks and damp soil in damp shaded forests. Forms soft leafy mats of pale green leaves with distinctive two-toothed tip.
- Range
- Found throughout North and South Islands on bark of native trees rocks and damp soil. Most common in lowland and montane forests with high rainfall. Also found worldwide.
- Endemism
- Native
- Main Threats
- None significant. Common and widespread in damp shaded forests. Localised threats include forest clearance removal of old trees and climate change.
- Population
- Not Threatened. Common on bark of native trees rocks and damp soil in damp shaded forests throughout New Zealand. Widespread in temperate regions.
- 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 leafy liverwort from other liverworts. Liverworts generally called pūkohu or grouped with small damp-loving plants. Soft leafy mats on bark noticed. Looked like moss of forest. Like fur of creature. No distinct name survives. Not used as medicine or dye. Too small too soft too easy to overlook. Simply part of forest.
Rain falls on it constantly. Lophocolea bidentata looks like tiny soft carpet. Stems creeping and branching. Forming loose leafy mats on bark. Leaves arranged in two rows along stem. Overlapping like leaves of moss. Leaves oval to oblong. Rounded base and tip divided into two sharp teeth. Subtle threat. Quiet warning. Colour pale green to yellowish-green. Often translucent quality. Liverwort of hidden tooth. Looks soft but has sharp edge.
What makes it special is teeth. Leafy liverwort is one of few liverworts with distinctly toothed leaves. Leaf tip divided into two sharp pointed teeth. Feature giving species its name. Bidentata means two-toothed. Teeth are subtle threat. Quiet warning to anything trying to eat liverwort. Not large enough to cause harm. But reminder even softest things can have sharp edge. Liverwort of hidden danger. Not what it seems.
Leaves arranged in two rows along stem. Lying flat against bark. Leaf margins entire except toothed tip. Underleaves present but small. Often hidden by overlapping leaves. Under hand lens teeth visible. Two sharp points at tip of each leaf.
Biologically it reproduces by spores. Released from capsules on short stalks. Grows on bark of native trees on rocks and damp soil in damp shaded forests. Spores tiny. Carried by wind to new locations.
To find leafy liverwort is to find soft leafy mats on tree bark. Pale green soft and leafy. Quiet carpet on trunk. Need hand lens to see teeth. Subtle threat. Sharp edge on soft leaf. Liverwort of hidden tooth. Looks soft but has sharp edge. Proves most dangerous things often most beautiful. No one told it otherwise.