Guide to Liverworts of Oregon: Fossombronia incurva Lindb.
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Fossombronia 1a seta short > Fossombronia 4a capsule exserted > Fossombronia incurva
Synonym: Fossombronia fleischeri Osterw. ex Loeske (fide Crandall-Stotler & Bray 2019)
Special Status: None.
Recognition: Small liverworts with closely overlapping, tightly folded leaves. This is the only species of Fossombronia in our area with separate male and female pants. Male plants have antheridia clearly visible. It is very similar to F. foveolata in having a very short seta, but the capsule is slightly exerted from the ivolucre in F. incurva while immersed in or barely exserted from the involucre in F. foveolata. The spores are in tetrads that separate late, but readily under pressure. The spores of F. incurva are small compared to other species of Fossombronia, less than 25 μm. Spores are 45-50 μm in F. foveolata.
Distribution: Presently known only from a stream terrace in a sand dune deflation plain area in Lane County, at the Oregon Coast.
Comments: This was a recent introduction, first found in 2004 (DHW m1396). Fossombronia incurva has not been previously reported from North America. Ray Stotler (pers. comm, 2010) suggested the Sutton Beach material might well be correctly called F. fleischeri and not F. incurva. Since then it has been determined that they are synonyms (Crandall-Stotler & Bray 2019).
By 2011, this population had disappeared along with an entire, rich hepatic and anthocerote community in which it had been found mixed. There are no other known localities in North America so it appears to be an ephemeral introduction since the deflation plain where this was found is a habitat that did not exist before the introduction of European beach grass.
Sutton Creek, Lane Co., Oregon, Tremblay 348 (UC)
Sutton Creek, Lane Co., Oregon, Tremblay 348 (UC)
Sutton Beach, Lane County, Oregon, DHW m1396.
Sutton Beach, Lane County, Oregon, DHW m1396.
Sutton Beach, Lane County, Oregon, DHW m1396. Arrows point to antheridia.
Sutton Creek, Lane Co., Oregon, Tremblay 348 (UC)