Identification notes
Formerly much better known as Nowellia curvifolia, or merely ‘Nowellia’ to the old lags, this small but charismatic leafy liverwort is intolerant of desiccation and is only found in places that stay humid year-round. It is appearing more frequently in drier areas, possibly because of climate change. However, in dry districts it may be confined to one or two fallen trees in a woodland, in contrast to high rainfall districts, where it can cover numerous fallen trees and stumps in wooded ravines and gorges.
Its presence (in western and northern areas at least) on a nicely decayed tree often indicates the suitability of the habitat for other small liverworts, such as Scapania umbrosa, Lepidozia reptans, Riccardia palmata, Tritomaria exsectiformis. If you are really lucky, you might come across the rarer Syzygiella autumnalis or Anastrophyllum hellerianum.
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