Sporophytes of (I believe) the California Liverwort (Asterella californica)
Here is a little forest of sexual sporophytes of (I believe) the California Liverwort (Asterella californica, Marchantiophyta) growing on the face of a sandstone outcrop. These look different from the liverworts in this photo which might be Palmer's Asterella (Asterella palmeri) - less like a helmet and more like little surfing palm trees! We have more different kinds of liverworts in our woods than I previously thought. There's a checklist of different California species at iNaturalist, but I haven't yet found a proper key. They seem to be having a good year with all the rain. (San Marcos Pass, 10 February 2019)
Sporophytes of (I believe) the California Liverwort (Asterella californica)
Here is a little forest of sexual sporophytes of (I believe) the California Liverwort (Asterella californica, Marchantiophyta) growing on the face of a sandstone outcrop. These look different from the liverworts in this photo which might be Palmer's Asterella (Asterella palmeri) - less like a helmet and more like little surfing palm trees! We have more different kinds of liverworts in our woods than I previously thought. There's a checklist of different California species at iNaturalist, but I haven't yet found a proper key. They seem to be having a good year with all the rain. (San Marcos Pass, 10 February 2019)