SafePlants

Ptilidium: A Genus of Liverworts

Ptilidium is a fascinating genus of liverworts, notable for being the sole member of the family Ptilidiaceae.

Considerations for Pets and Children

• Ptilidium ciliare is noted as having the common name "ciliated fringewort" indicating fringed leaves, a possible source of mild irritation.

Nomenclature and Taxonomy

• Scientific Name: Ptilidium
• Family: Ptilidiaceae
• Kingdom: Not explicitly mentioned in the provided text, but as a liverwort, it belongs to the plant kingdom (Plantae).
• Ptilidium was published by Nees von Esenbeck, Christian Gottfried Daniel.

Species within the Genus

Currently, three accepted species are recognized within the genus Ptilidium:

• Ptilidium californicum
• Ptilidium ciliare
• Ptilidium pulcherrimum

Common Names

• Ptilidium ciliare: ciliated fringewort, northern naugehyde liverwort
• Ptilidium pulcherrimum: Naugehyde Liverwort, Tree Fringewort
• Ptilidium californicum: Pacific fuzzwort

Synonyms and Related Names

• Ptilidium pulcherrimum: Ptilidium pulcherrimum (G. Web.) Hampe, Ptilidium pulcherrimum (Weber) Vain.
• Ptilidium ciliare: Blepharozia ciliaris

Distribution and Habitat

Ptilidium species have a wide distribution, including:

• Canada
• Alaska
• Western United States (P. californicum)
• Europe (Austria, Balkan Peninsula, Baltic States, Belgium, Bulgaria)
• Asia (Caucasus, Central Asia, Central Russia, China mainland)
• Antarctica/subantarctic or Southern Ocean

Ptilidium californicum has been observed growing epiphytically on living trees (particularly alder trees), rotting logs, boulders, and cliffs.

Ptilidium ciliare is found in heath and forest on sandy soils, especially on north-facing slopes, forest edges, and other steep slopes.

Morphological Characteristics

• Ptilidium ciliare forms golden carpets on stony surfaces.
• Shoots of this plant can grow up to 3 mm wide, and it grows in reddish brown to yellow-green tufts.
• The stems are pinnate or bipinnate.
• Leaves of Ptilidium pulcherrimum are divided into narrow lobes (6-10 cells wide at lobe).

Ecological Role

Ptilidium is considered to be of cool-Gondwanic origin.

Quirky Facts

• Ptilidium ciliare is a bipolar species, found in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Interactions with Other Organisms

• Three sesquiterpenes, pinguisanin, pinguisanolide and pinguisenal, have been isolated from Ptilidium pulcherrimum.
• Ptilidium pulcherrimum methanol extract shows antibacterial and antifungal activity.

Conservation Status

• Ptilidium californicum is included in the CNPS Inventory of Rare and Endangered Plants on list 4.3.

Further Information

For more information, you can consult the following resources:

• ITIS link: Ptilidium pulcherrimum (G. Web.) Hampe
• NCBI link: Ptilidium
• Wikispecies: Ptilidium
• Discover Life: Ptilidium ciliare
• TERMIUM (Government of Canada's terminology and linguistic data bank)