Specimen #7 Porella platyphylla

Fig. 1 Porella Platyphylla next to quarter.  Branched leafy liverwort.

Fig. 2 Underside of porella platyphylla with underleaves.

Fig. 3 Dorsal side of leaves of Porella platyphylla.

Fig. 4 Toothed leaf of porella platyphlla.

Specimen 7

Name: Porella platyphylla
Family: Porellaceae

Collection Date: Oct. 4, 2011

Habitat: damp rock

Location: West Woods

Description: Small leafy liverwort, light green, not glossy, with leaves complicate-bilobed, incubous
Collector: Jennifer Friedler

Key used: Conard, H.S. and P.L. Redfearn, Jr. 1979. How to Know the Mosses and Liverworts 2^nd Edition, McGraw-Hill, Boston, Mass.

Keying Steps:

Introduction key pg. 19

1b. Stem and leaves, 2 rows with third rod on underside of stem...4

4b. leafy; more than one chloroplast per cell...5

5b. distinct leaf and stem...8

8b. not fossombronia (this step judged by archegonia which my sample lacked so I looked at what 8a Fossombronia lead to)...9

9a. rhizoids present...pg 232 Jungermanniales

Key to Order Jungermanniales pg. 232

1b. leaves entire, toothed or divided at tip...6

6b. leaves bilobed without bifurcate vitta...7

7b. leaves incubous, slope toward base of stem...39

39b. Leaves complicate-bilobed...42

42b. Underleaves present...44

44a. underleaves unlobed...45

45a. 2.5-5mm wide...265 Porella

Key to Genus Porella pg. 265

1b. not glossy, small trigones...4

4b. underleaves wider than stem...5

5b. ventral lobes narrower than underleaves, somewhat tappering at apex...Porella platyphylla

“Plant is dull yellow green to brownish patches, shoots 1-2.5mm wide, up to 8cm long, 2-3 pinnate, on rocks, trees, and soil, widespread in North America” (Conrad ).

Links:

http://eol.org/pages/604270/overview

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=POPL11