Status: Native
Synonyms:
Ricciella membranacea (Gottsche & Lindenb.) A. Evans
Riccia membranacea is quite a remarkable little thallus liverwort. Along the margins it is one cell thick, and it is only
a few cells thick toward the interior of the thallus. Sporophytes, when present, bulge from the undersurface (ventral side). The sporophytes release spores that resemble enlarged versions of coronavirus particles!
Please click on an image for a larger file.
Riccia membranacea, ID & collection by R.M. Schuster, H.L. Blomquist, & V. Bryan, North Carolina, Columbus County, 1.5 mi E of Whiteville, near route 74-76 over damp organic muck in Nyassa swamp along slow moving stream, October 23, 1953; photos by Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, August 22, 2023
Riccia membranacea, photomicrograph of undersurface (ventral) of thallus, ID & collection by R.M. Schuster, H.L. Blomquist, & V. Bryan, North Carolina, Columbus County, 1.5 mi E of Whiteville, near route 74-76 over damp organic muck in Nyassa swamp along slow moving stream, October 23, 1953; photos by Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, August 22, 2023
Riccia membranacea, photomicrograph of undersurface (ventral) of thallus with arrow pointing at sporophyte, ID & collection by R.M. Schuster, H.L. Blomquist, & V. Bryan, North Carolina, Columbus County, 1.5 mi E of Whiteville, near route 74-76 over damp organic muck in Nyassa swamp along slow moving stream, October 23, 1953; photos by Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, August 22, 2023
Riccia membranacea, dark field photomicrograph of undersurface (ventral) of thallus, ID & collection by R.M. Schuster, H.L. Blomquist, & V. Bryan, North Carolina, Columbus County, 1.5 mi E of Whiteville, near route 74-76 over damp organic muck in Nyassa swamp along slow moving stream, October 23, 1953; photos by Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, August 22, 2023
Riccia membranacea, dark field photomicrograph of undersurface (ventral) of thallus with blue circle around sporophyte, ID & collection by R.M. Schuster, H.L. Blomquist, & V. Bryan, North Carolina, Columbus County, 1.5 mi E of Whiteville, near route 74-76 over damp organic muck in Nyassa swamp along slow moving stream, October 23, 1953; photos by Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, August 22, 2023
Riccia membranacea, dark field photomicrograph of sporophyte on undersurface (ventral) of thallus, ID & collection by R.M. Schuster, H.L. Blomquist, & V. Bryan, North Carolina, Columbus County, 1.5 mi E of Whiteville, near route 74-76 over damp organic muck in Nyassa swamp along slow moving stream, October 23, 1953; photos by Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, August 22, 2023
Riccia membranacea, dark field photomicrograph of undersurface (ventral) of thallus sectioned to release spores from sporangium, ID & collection by R.M. Schuster, H.L. Blomquist, & V. Bryan, North Carolina, Columbus County, 1.5 mi E of Whiteville, near route 74-76 over damp organic muck in Nyassa swamp along slow moving stream, October 23, 1953; photos by Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, August 22, 2023
Riccia membranacea, photomicrograph of undersurface (ventral) of thallus near middle of thallus, ID & collection by R.M. Schuster, H.L. Blomquist, & V. Bryan, North Carolina, Columbus County, 1.5 mi E of Whiteville, near route 74-76 over damp organic muck in Nyassa swamp along slow moving stream, October 23, 1953; photos by Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, August 22, 2023
Riccia membranacea, photomicrograph of spores, ID & collection by R.M. Schuster, H.L. Blomquist, & V. Bryan, North Carolina, Columbus County, 1.5 mi E of Whiteville, near route 74-76 over damp organic muck in Nyassa swamp along slow moving stream, October 23, 1953; photos by Russ Kleinman & Karen Blisard, August 22, 2023
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