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Frullania tamarisci

No recorded common name

Frullania tamarisci is a leafy liverwort placed in the family Frullaniaceae, within the order Porellales and the class Jungermanniopsida. It belongs to the phylum Marchantiophyta, the lineage of plants known collectively as liverworts.

Beyond this basic classification, little else is documented about the species in the available material, but its taxonomic placement alone situates it among a distinctive and ancient group of non-vascular land plants worth a closer look.

Identification and Appearance

Frullania tamarisci is classified within the genus Frullania, family Frullaniaceae, a group of leafy liverworts. No detailed measurements, color descriptions, or diagnostic field marks are documented here beyond its taxonomic placement in the order Porellales and class Jungermanniopsida.

Distribution and Habitat

Monthly observation records for Frullania tamarisci show a clear seasonal pattern, with counts rising from a low of 1,085 in December to a peak of 4,128 in May. Numbers stay elevated through the following months, with July recording 4,120 observations, before tapering off again toward autumn and winter.

This pattern suggests the species is most often recorded in spring and mid-summer, roughly April through July, and least often detected in December. However, these figures come from GBIF occurrence data, which reflect presence observations rather than true abundance, population size, or a complete picture of the species' native range.

World map showing recorded occurrences of Frullania tamarisci.
Where it has been recorded · GBIF
4,128
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Records by month, all years · GBIF

Fun Facts

  1. In open, exposed sites in the far west and near the sea, Frullania tamarisci can grow directly on boulders, sometimes reaching a size that approaches that of the scarcer Frullania teneriffae.
  2. Telling it apart from similar species can be tricky: a diagnostic line of pale cells, called the ocelli, is present in its leaves but is not always easy to see.

Photos

Photographs from via iNaturalist, licensed under CC0 1.0., by Moe Meikle via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by Noah How via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by Alexis Tinker-Tsavalas via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by Jessica Utrup via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., by Sean Vanderluit via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., and by William Rogers via iNaturalist, licensed under CC BY 4.0., credited on each photo.

Ecology and classification

Habitat

Classification

Phylum
Marchantiophyta
Class
Jungermanniopsida
Order
Porellales
Family
Frullaniaceae
Genus
Frullania
Species
Frullania tamarisci

Sources

  1. GBIF Species names and classification
  2. iNaturalist Photos
  3. Wikidata Common names and conservation status
  4. Wikipedia Summary extract