SafePlants

Fossombronia longiseta

Fossombronia longiseta, belonging to the liverwort family, is a fascinating, though often overlooked, plant. This species currently lacks a widely recognized common name.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Fossombronia longiseta (Austin) Austin
• Family: Fossombroniaceae (also referred to as Codoniaceae)
• Phylum: Bryophyta (Mosses, Hornworts, and Liverworts)
• Synonyms: Fossombronia kashyapii Srivastava & Udar, Fossombronia texana, husnotii Corb. - 1889.
• Taxonomic Status: Accepted

Distribution and Habitat

• The origin of Fossombronia longiseta is currently unknown or undetermined, but the species regularly occurs in Canada.
• It has also been recorded in California, Oregon and Texas.
• This species appears to be very adaptive to different habitats.
• A blue-listed taxon in British Columbia.

Morphological Characteristics

• Fossombronia longiseta is a monoecious species.
• Spores have 30 or more lamellae or spines, as seen in equatorial optical section with a compound microscope.

Quirky Facts

• Time-lapse videos show the capsule dehiscence (opening) of Fossombronia longiseta over a period of six days condensed into thirty seconds.
• Lectotypification of Fossombronia longiseta was based on a mixture of material belonging to three different species of Fossombronia Schuster (1992a p. 395) lectotypified F.

Further Information

• Search for Fossombronia longiseta in:
  • The Plant List
  • NYBG Virtual Herbarium
  • Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle
  • Type
  • BC Conservation Data Centre
  • National / International Databases
• Discover Life offers information about the biology, natural history, ecology, identification, and distribution of this species.
• ResearchGate contains information about Fossombronia longiseta (Aust.) in Texas.