SPECIES FACT SHEET
Common Name: Tiny Notchwort
Scientific Name: Anastrophyllum minutum (Schreb.) R.M. Schust.
Division: Marchantiophyta (incorrectly called Hepatophyta in U.S. government
taxon databases (e.g., ITIS 2008); see Stotler and Crandall-Stotler 2008)
Class: Jungermanniopsida
Order: Jungermanniales
Family: Jungermanniaceae
Technical Description: Small plants, dark green to brown. Shoots usually less
than 1mm wide, with transversely inserted, bilobed leaves. Stems are typically
erect and crowded. Cell walls of leaves are conspicuously and evenly thickened
(not thickened just at the corners, i.e., lacking trigones). Oil-bodies botryoidal,
consisting of distinct, small spherules. "...to 5 cm long, ...yellowish-brown,
seldom pure green, with sparse rhizoids at the base of the stem. Leaves
spreading, of equal size on sterile shoots, almost transverse, almost quadrate,
channeled, bilobed to 1/3, sinus wide and rounded--right angled, robes
rounded or shortly pointed, incurved towards each other. Ventral lobe
somewhat larger, mostly rounded, dorsal lobe mostly pointed. Marginal cells
10-20 µm, in the center of the leaf 13–20 µm, rounded rectangular or quadrate;
walls of the cells equally thickened." (Arnell 1981)
Distinctive Characters: Paton (1999) points out that the cells below the lobe
tips are arrayed in concentric rings. Gemmae are bright red when present but
not seen in Oregon material from Mt. Hood; Damsholt (2002) mentions the
gemma-free forms are found in plants with more widely spaced leaves. These
match the plants from Mt. Hood.
Similar species: The genera Cephalozia, Cephaloziella , Lophozia, and
Marsupella all have species of small plants with bilobed leaves. In these the cell
walls are uniformly thin or thickened at the corners of the cells only. Oil-bodies
in these look alikes are either granulose (Marsupella, Lophozia, and
Cephaloziella ) or oil-bodies are absent entirely (Cephalozia ). The closest lookalike is Lophozia sudetica which is remarkably similar. It was mistaken for A.
minutum by Jessup (2000) because it is the same size, has bilobed leaves, lacks
underleaves and has reddish, angular gemmae. However, L. sudetica has more
secund leaves, especially on more prostrate shoots. It has leaf cells that lack
large trigones but the cell walls are not consistently evenly thickened as in A.
minutum. The best character for separating L. sudetica from A. minutum is the
arrangement of cells in the leaf lobes. These are in distinct, concentric rows
radiating from the lobe tips in A. minutum, a feature first noted by Paton
(1999).
Life History: Studies of life history traits specific to this species have not been
located. The species is perennial; colonies are presumed to persist for long
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periods of time. Plants like this species, which grow at high elevations where
snow lies late, generally above 1500 m (5000 ft), may have a short growing
season that coincides with late summer and fall. The lack of sporophytes in the
Oregon collections suggests the species is dispersed primarily by vegetative
means, even though gemmae have not been seen in the Oregon material.
Production of spores is generally rare (Arnell 1981; Smith 1990).
Range, Distribution, and Abundance: Circumboreal, in western North
America in Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and
California. Frequent in northern boreal and montane regions, less frequent
southward and at lower elevations.
Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center reports it from Curry, Hood River,
Jackson, Linn, and Wallowa Counties in Oregon. Verified specimens from
Marion County and Hood River County are in the Oregon State University
Herbarium. The Curry County record (Jessup 2000) is rejected; the voucher
specimen has been re-identified as Lophozia sudetica (Wagner, personal
observation). The Linn and Jackson County records are suspect and need reevaluation.
Reported from the Olympic Peninsula, Washington, counties unspecified
(Hutten et al. 2005). Reported from Stevens Pass, King County and Queets
River Valley, Jefferson County, Washington (Clark and Frye 1928). Reported
also from Whatcom County, Washington (Hong 1980).
BLM: Suspected in Medford.
USFS: Documented in Mt. Hood, Wallowa-Whitman and Willamette
National Forests. Expected in all national forests with alpine habitats in
Washington and Oregon.
Habitat Associations: Grows on peaty soil at relatively high elevations (> 5500'
asl). In the Tsuga mertensiana zone, the colonies of Anastrophyllum minutum
are typically associated with other bryophytes in tight mats on ledges or at the
base of cliffs.
Threats: Threats from human activity are not obvious beyond overcollecting at
known sites or road building in the subalpine zone. Most sites for this species
are in Wilderness Areas and are not subject to habitat disturbance activities.
Conservation Considerations: Most sites for this species are in Wilderness
Areas and are not subject to habitat disturbance activities. This was known
from only one site until 1996 (Christy and Wagner 1996; Hong 1996).
Conservation Rankings and Status:
Global: G5; Oregon: S1
ORNHIC List 2
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Washington: Not ranked
Other pertinent information:
Surveys and Survey Protocol: Search ledges of north facing cliffs of peaks and
ridges at higher elevations in the mountains.
Key to Identification of the Species: See Doyle and Stotler 2006.
Photos and/or line drawings: See Christy and Wagner 1996. Also on the
British Bryological Society website:
http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/bbs/meetings/mtgs06/Scotland/mtgs063.htm
Preparer: David H. Wagner
Edited by: Rob Huff
Date Completed: October, 2008
Updated in July 2009 by Candace Fallon (Update added Attachment 1, Photos,
to the Species Fact Sheet).
Updated in May 2010 by David Wagner (Technical Description, Similar Species,
Distribution, and Conservation Ranking revised; additional photos attached).
ATTACHMENTS:
(1)
Photos
References:
Arnell, S. 1981. Illustrated Moss Flora of Fennoscandia. I. Hepaticae. 2nd.
Edition. Swedish Natural Science Research Council.
Christy, J.A. & D.H. Wagner. 1996. Guide for the identification of rare,
threatened or sensitive bryophytes in the range of the northern spotted
owl, western Washington, western Oregon and northwestern California.
USDI Bureau of Land Management, Oregon-Washington State Office,
Portland. 222 pp.
Clark, L. and T.C. Frye. 1928. The Liverworts of the Northwest. Publications
of the Puget Sound Biological Station. 6: 1–94.
Doyle, W. T. & R.E. Stotler. 2006. Contributions toward a bryoflora of
California III. Keys and annotated species catalogue for liverworts and
hornworts. Madroño 53: 89–197.
Frye, T.C. & L. Clark. 1945. Hepaticae of North America. Volume 3. University
of Washington Publications in Biology 6: 337–564.
Hong. W.S. 1980. Hepaticae of the North Cascades Range, Washington. The
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Bryologist 83: 94–102.
Hong. W.S. 1996. Anastrophyllum in Western North America. The Bryologist
99: 85-90.
ITIS. 2008. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (official government
database of scientific names) http://www.itis.gov/index.html
Accessed June 2008.
Jessup, S. 2000. Hepaticae of the Klamath Mountains I.
Anastrophyllum minutum in the Siskiyou Mountains of Oregon and
California Evansia 17(4): 137-140.
http://www.sou.edu/biology/Faculty/Jessup/Anastrophyllum/Anastrop
hyllum.htm
Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center. 2007. Rare, threatened and
endangered species of Oregon. Oregon Natural Heritage Information
Center, Oregon State University. Portland. 100 pp.
http://oregonstate.edu/ornhic/2007_t&e_book.pdf
Paton, J.A. 1999. The liverwort flora of the British Isles. Harley Books,
Colchester, U.K. 626 pp.
Schuster, R.M. 1969. The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America.
Volume 2. Columbia University Press, New York. 1062 pp.
Smith, A.J.E. 1990. The Liverworts of Britain and Ireland. Cambridge
University Press, Cambridge, England.
Stotler, R.E. and B. Crandall-Stotler. 2008. Correct author citations for some
upper rank names of liverworts (Marchantiophyta). Taxon 57: 289-292.
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Attachment 1 – Photos
All photos by David Wagner, under contract with the Oregon/Washington Bureau of Land
Management.
Shoot tip
Shoot segment
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Leaf lobe 1
Leaf lobe 2, with lines demonstrating concentric rows of cells radiating from lobe tip.
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