Guide to Liverworts of Oregon: Marsupella bolanderi (Aust.) Underw.
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Marsupella 1b plants dioicous > Marsupella 5b plants not julaceous > 6b leaves divided .3 -.6 > Marsupella 8b reddish green to reddish brown > Marsupella bolanderi
Synonym: None.
Special Status: None.
Recognition: Small plants found at low elevations on rock, with acute or rounded sinus. The leaf margins are not revolute as in M. emarginata, which is the only other species that occurs in the lowlands. The appressed, black, shiny leaves would seem to be distinctive. Doyle (Doyle and Stotler, 2006) suggests that small forms of M. emarginata may be identified by having larger, bulging trigones as compared to smaller trigones in M. bolanderi. I have not found this character consistently useful for separating the two as large trigones occur in some plants of otherwise typical M. bolanderi. I have not found any records of oil bodies in this species.
A recent collection from California shows about equal proportions of two, three, and four oil bodies per cell, which will distinguish this from both M. emarginata and M. sphacelata which have over 75% of the cells with only two oil bodies. Fertile material with elaters provides another distinguishing feature. The elaters of M. emarginata are larger with two ribbon-like spirals while those of M. bolanderi are about half their size and have three narrow ribbon-like spirals. See illustration below which compares them at the same scale.
Distribution: On rock; west of the Cascades; reported from as far north as Washington State by Hong (1982).
Comments: All historical records from north of California should be viewed with suspicion because of confusion with Marsupella emarginata. For a long time I did not consider this species at all. I have not yet seen authentic material from our region. The reports of its occurrence in Oregon and Washington by Hong (1982) would be interesting to re-examine.
Dry plants. Wagnotire Rock, Monterey Co., California. DHW 1230.
Moist plants; left with mature capsule. Monterey Co., California. DHW m1230.
Monterey Co., California. DHW m1230.
Monterey Co., California. DHW m1230.
California. W. Doyle 11272.
Monterey Co., California. DHW m1230.
Monterey Co., California. DHW m1230.
Male bract with old antheridia. Monterey Co., California. Kellman 5185.
Lobe of male bract. Monterey Co., California. Kellman 5185.
Feliciana Mountain, Mariposa Co., California. M Hutten June 2012.
Feliciana Mountain, Mariposa Co., California. M Hutten June 2012.
Feliciana Mountain, Mariposa Co., California. M Hutten June 2012.
Feliciana Mountain, Mariposa Co., California. M Hutten June 2012.
Elaters and spore. Near Quail Hollow Park, Santa Cruz County, California. DHW m2820.
Comparison of elaters of Marsupella emarginata and Marsupella bolanderi at the same scale.
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