Diario de rambryum

A remarkably gifted bryologist suggested that I check out the shores of Shushwap Lake. When I got there, I was completely overwhelmed by the quantity of amazing Riccias along the shoreline. The pomegranite reds of Riccia frostii were overwhelming in their variety and abundance. This species, like many Riccias in BC seems to be underrepresented in collections, so there is much to be discovered about its distribution.

This time of year marks low waters on the rivers and lakes around most of the province. The genus Riccia seems to like water-retentive clays and silts of fine soils and sediments in seasonally drying habitats. If you are looking for a weekend treasure hunt, this is the time of year to get out to riverbanks, lakes, ponds and sloughs. I am pasting below google maps satellite views for examples of "good" Riccia habitats followed by the links to the 10 species that you might see looking happy at this time of year in those places. Please tag me if you see anything.

Fine silt and compacted clay river banks
https://goo.gl/maps/G5Av1XGfL3i4L7bT7
https://goo.gl/maps/uJt9GVbnR2WUX9HRA
Riccia frostii
Riccia cavernosa
Riccia hueberiana

Fine silt lake margins
https://goo.gl/maps/LgcCwzvkaPw3Xr8N6
Riccia frostii
Riccia cavernosa
Ricciocarpos natans

Drying lake beds
https://goo.gl/maps/vs19VGZNvneSf29z8
Riccia glauca
Riccia trichocarpa
Riccia beyrichiana

Subalpine sloughs
https://goo.gl/maps/j9Pay16HvBrLT6dv9
Riccia sorocarpa

Stagnant water bodies (shallow ponds, lakes, backwaters)
https://goo.gl/maps/7pa5afwfkJQYU7iR8
Riccia fluitans
Riccia rhenena (not yet reported from BC but possible and easily mistaken for fluitans)
Ricciocarpos natans

Comparing the official list of BC liverworts to those documented in the iNaturalist system, I came up with this list of 66 species that have yet to be captured on iNat. Many of these species are hypermaritimeor wet coastal (Haida Gwaii, Central Coast, Western Vancouver Island, Prince Rupert), high alpine (2000+m) , far northern (top 1/2 of BC) or east facing in the rockies. I am annotating them in places where I have something to add.

x= leafy
y= thallose

Anastrepta orcadensis x, wet coastal
Anastrophyllum donnianum x, wet coastal
Anastrophyllum michauxii x, far north and rockies
Arnellia fennica x, far north and rockies
Calycularia laxa y, SW BC + NW BC-- Like Pellia but with scales above and below
Calypogeia neesiana x
Calypogeia suecica x
Cephalozia ambigua x
Cephalozia macounii x
Cephaloziella hampeana x
Cephaloziella phyllacantha x bogs amongst sphagnum
Cephaloziella rubella x possibly misreported so geographic range uncertain
Cephaloziella varians x
Dendrobazzania griffithiana x big, hypermaritime, known from NW coastal areas
Fuscocephaloziopsis catenulata x
Gymnomitrion commutatum x alpine
Gymnomitrion corallioides x alpine
Gymnomitrion pacificum x wet coastal of Brooks Penninsula and Haida Gwaii
Gymnomitrion revolutum x far north mountains
Haplomitrium hookeri x subalpine steep slopes in late snow melt areas
Herbertus hawaiiensis x coastal tundrascapes
Herbertus himalayensis x coastal tundrascapes
Jungermannia borealis x Lynn Canyon, Monashee Mtns
Jungermannia polaris x Rockies
Lepidozia sandvicensis x Prince Rupert & Central Coast down to Jervis Inlet
Lophozia ascendens x mostly interior but frequently misidentified
Macrodiplophyllum imbricatum X mostly coastal but also Smithers area
Macrodiplophyllum microdontum x entire coast of BC
Macrodiplophyllum plicatum x entire coast of BC
Mannia pilosa y = interior and rockies
Marchantia romanica x high alpine
Marsupella apiculata x alpine
Marsupella boeckii x alpine
Marsupella sprucei x alpine
Mesoptychia badensis x rockies
Mesoptychia collaris x rockies
Mesoptychia rutheana x rockies
Mesoptychia sahlbergii x rockies
Moerckia flotoviana y along drainage often considered synonymous of Moerckia hibernica
Nardia insecta x alpine
Nardia japonica x alpine
Neoorthocaulis binsteadii x rockies
Pellia columbiana y SW BC along muddy creeks and drainage. Like Pellia neesiana but with antheridia and archegonia on same plants
Plagiochila arctica x far northern
Plicanthus hirtellus x huge bushy and NW Coastal
Radula prolifera x Far northern
Riccia rhenana y in swamps, ponds and backwaters, aquatic
Scapania brevicaulis x
Scapania curta x
Scapania cuspiduligera x
Scapania hians x
Scapania hollandiae x
Scapania irrigua x
Scapania kaurinii x
Scapania mucronata x
Scapania ornithopodioides x
Scapania paludicola x
Scapania simmonsii x
Scapania spitsbergensis x
Solenostoma hyalinum x
Solenostoma obscurum x
Solenostoma sphaerocarpum x
Sphenolobus saxicola x on rock far NW corner of BC
Tritomaria exsecta x SW BC subalpine, also in Kootenays and Haida Gwaii
Tritomaria quinquedentata x subalpine across the whole province.
Tritomaria scitula x semiaquatic around falls and wet rocks Fraser Valley & Interior