Frullania polysticta

Frullania polysticta
F. polysticta photographed on Tenerife
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Marchantiophyta
Class:	Jungermanniopsida
Order:	Porellales
Family:	Frullaniaceae
Genus:	Frullania
Species:	F. polysticta
Binomial name
Frullania polysticta Gottsche, Lindenb. & Nees
Synonyms
Frullania bryhnii Müll.Frib.

Frullania polysticta is a species of liverwort in the family Frullaniaceae. It is found only in Madeira and the Canary Islands.

Distribution and habitat

F. 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 500–1,200 m (1,600–3,900 ft) above sea level, occurring most frequently above 800 m (2,600 ft). 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, however, this was later determined to be erroneous.

Description

F. polysticta is a mat-forming liverwort.

Ecology

F. 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.

F. polysticta is the only known host of Octosporella microtricha, a species of parasitic fungus.