Identification notes
Our three species of Kurzia are normally easily recognised at genus level – all are tiny pinnately branched leafy liverworts with transversely inserted leaves deeply divided into usually four long narrow lobes that are 1-4 cells wide at the base. Vegetatively the species can look quite similar, and although they occupy different habitat niches, fertile material is usually required for confident identification.
Kurzia trichoclados usually grows in deep, cushion-like mats on moist, well-drained peaty banks, often associated with Sphagnum and other small leafy liverworts. Sniffing the plants may reveal an important diagnostic clue: K. trichoclados is strongly aromatic, setting it apart from K. sylvatica, with which it sometimes grows, and K. pauciflora, which grows amongst Sphagnum in mires and wet heath. However, some people cannot detect the scent, which normally lingers on dried specimens.
It is usually necessary to search through material with a stereo microscope to find male or female inflorescences for certain identification. This can be daunting as the shoots are extremely slender and often grow in dense tangled colonies. However, persistence is key; inflorescences are often present, but are most likely to be found in the older parts of the mat or turf which can be gently teased apart with fine forceps.
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