Frullania polysticta
Species of liverwort
title: "Frullania polysticta" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["frullaniaceae", "vulnerable-flora-of-africa", "flora-of-madeira", "flora-of-the-canary-islands", "plants-described-in-1845", "taxa-named-by-carl-moritz-gottsche", "taxa-named-by-johann-bernhard-wilhelm-lindenberg", "taxa-named-by-christian-gottfried-daniel-nees-von-esenbeck", "epiphytes", "endemic-flora-of-macaronesia", "taxonomy-articles-created-by-polbot"] description: "Species of liverwort" topic_path: "society/religion" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frullania_polysticta" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Species of liverwort ::
| image = Frullania polysticta by Christian Berg (1).jpg | image_caption = On Tenerife | status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = | genus = Frullania | species = polysticta | authority = Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees | synonyms = *Frullania bryhnii Müll.Frib. | synonyms_ref =
Frullania polysticta is a species of liverwort in the family Frullaniaceae. It is found only in Madeira and the Canary Islands and is considered a vulnerable species.
Distribution and habitat
Frullania polysticta can be found on all islands of both the Madeira and Canary Islands archipelagos. It is widely distributed across Madeira and is similarly frequent on most of the Canary Islands, though it is rarer on Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. It occurs primarily in laurel forests at elevations of 500-1200 m above sea level, occurring most frequently above 800 m. It typically grows as an epiphyte on the bark of trees, but can also be found on shaded rocks and humid soil amongst leaf litter.
It has been recorded from the Azores,
Description
Frullania polysticta is a robust, irregularly branched, mat-forming liverwort that is light green to reddish brown in colour. The shoots measure 5-8 cm long and 1400-2200 um wide. The overlapping leaves are borne on stems measuring 120-220 um in diameter. F. polysticta is dioecious, with male and female plants being of similar size.
Ecology
Frullania polysticta can be considered a laurel forest habitat specialist. Known host tree species include Erica arborea, Ilex canariensis, Laurus azorica, Laurus novocanariensis, Ocotea foetens, and Picconia excelsa. It has been recorded growing in association with other bryophytes, including Dicranum scottianum, Frullania dilatata, Frullania azorica, Frullania teneriffae, Kurzia trichoclados, Leucodon canariensis, Metzgeria consanguinea, Metzgeria furcata, Plagiochila bifaria, Radula lindenbergiana, Saccogyna viticulosa, and Sematophyllum substrumulosum, and in association with lichens such as Anaptychia ciliaris, Degelia plumbea, Lobaria pulmonaria, and Leptogium species.
Frullania polysticta is a long-lived perennial species with an estimated generation length of 11 to 25 years.
Conservation status
Frullania polysticta is listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature under criterion A3c, based on its decreasing population and observed habitat loss. It is threatened by urbanization, tourism, overgrazing, and climate change. No specific conservation measures are in place to protect this species, however, it is known to occur within protected areas such as Madeira Natural Park.
References
References
- (2019). "''Frullania polysticta''".
- "''Frullania polysticta'' Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees".
- (2001). "The hepatic flora of the Azores: Brief historical outline, present knowledge, endemics and phytogeographical aspects". Belgian Journal of Botany.
- (2003). "Host Specificity of Epiphytic Bryophyte Communities of a Laurel Forest on Tenerife (Canary Islands, Spain)". [[The Bryologist]].
- (2011). "Epiphytic bryophyte diversity on Madeira Island: Effects of tree species on bryophyte species richness and composition". [[The Bryologist]].
- (2009). "Epiphytic bryophytes in Canarian subtropical montane cloud forests: the importance of the time since disturbance and host identity". Canadian Journal of Forest Research.
- (1999). "The genus ''Frullania'' Raddi (Hepaticae) in Portugal and Madeira". Cryptogamie Bryologie.
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