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Sphaerocarpos: The Bottle Liverworts

Sphaerocarpos is a genus of liverworts, commonly known as bottle liverworts. This genus belongs to the Sphaerocarpaceae family and includes about eight or nine species.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Genus: Sphaerocarpos
• Family: Sphaerocarpaceae (also known as bottle liverworts)
• Division: Marchantiophyta (Note: the text mentions this is sometimes incorrectly called Hepatophyta in U.S. government taxon databases)
• Type Genus: The text identifies Sphaerocarpos as the type genus of Sphaerocarpaceae.

Species Examples

• Sphaerocarpos texanus (Texas Balloonwort): Found in the Americas, northern Africa, and Europe. Synonym: Sphaerocarpos terrestris
• Sphaerocarpos drewei: Endemic to California, specifically San Diego and Riverside counties.
• Sphaerocarpos hians: This species was subject to a revision of the genus in a 1910 publication by Caroline Coventry Haynes.
• Sphaerocarpos cristatus
• Sphaerocarpos michelii
• Sphaerocarpos donnellii
• Sphaerocarpos stipitatus: Subject of a study on sporelings grown on agar.
• Sphaerocarpos californicus
• Sphaerocarpos europaeus

Distribution and Habitat

• Sphaerocarpos texanus is found in the Americas, northern Africa, and Europe and also in Gela town.
• Sphaerocarpos drewei is endemic to California.

Morphological Characteristics

• Liverworts in general range in size from 20 cm in length and 5 cm in breadth (e.g., Monoclea) to less than 1 mm in both length and width.

Genetic and Cytological Information

• Sphaerocarpos cristatus has a chromosome number of eight in both female and male gametophytes.
• Sex determination in Sphaerocarpos is genetically controlled.

Ecological Role

• Sphaerocarpos texanus is often found alongside other plants like Riccia cavernosa, Riccia sorocarpa, and various Bryum mosses.

Resources and Further Information

• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS)
• Encyclopedia of Life
• Discover Life
• University and Jepson Herbaria