SafePlants

Asterella: A Fascinating Liverwort Genus

Asterella is a genus of liverworts belonging to the Aytoniaceae family. These small, often overlooked plants play a role in various ecosystems.

Taxonomy and Nomenclature

• Scientific Name: Asterella P. Beauv. (nom. cons.)
• Family: Aytoniaceae
• Kingdom: (Implied, likely Plantae, based on being a plant)
• Synonyms: None explicitly mentioned, but the text refers to taxonomic revisions and reclassifications, suggesting potential historical synonyms.

Considerations for Pets

• Some Asterella species have scales or hair-like structures.

Considerations for Children

• Some Asterella species have scales or hair-like structures.

Distribution and Habitat

• The genus Asterella has many representatives on the American continent.
• Northern species are widely distributed.
• Southern and tropical species exist.
• Some species, like Buellia asterella (now classified as a lichen), used to occur in isolated patches of dry grassland from Italy to other areas.
• Asterella africana has been found in Madeira and mainland Portugal.

Morphological Characteristics

• Asterella bolanderi, also known as Bolander's asterella, is one species within this genus.
• Some species have pale green carpocephala (reproductive structures) with spreading lobes and long, pale hair-like scales beneath.
• The base of the stalk is described as naked in some species.
• Some species, like Asterella californica, have thalli (plant bodies) with purple scales at the growing tips and rounded purple button-like aborted female gametangiophores (reproductive structures) bordered by a fringe of small scales.
• Asterella australis has a carpocaphalum showing a laciniate perianth with laciniae.
• Buellia asterella has a white thallus with a mealy to finely granulose upper surface.

Ecology and Interactions

• Asterella angusta spore germination is affected by allelopathic compounds from Lantana camara, indicating a competitive interaction.

Genetic Information

• The genetic diversity of Asterella liukiuensis has been investigated.
• The genus Asterella is exceptional in having approximately 80 species.

Resources and Further Information

• The PLANTS Database (USDA, NRCS) is a reference for Asterella.
• Tropicos provides taxonomic data.
• EOL (Encyclopedia of Life) has information about Asterella.
• Wikipedia and Wikispecies have pages dedicated to Asterella.
• Wikimedia Commons has images related to Asterella.
• ARKive has photos and facts relating to Starry breck-lichen.
• ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System) is a resource for Asterella elegans and Asterella bolanderi.