Status: Native
Synonyms:
None
Riccia nigrella is a minute dark green (can appear grayish) thallous liverwort. The tiny thalli are only approximately 0.5mm across and a 1-2 mm long. The thalli roll up when dry into dark purple to black tubes. The thalli have purple margins and no cilia. They are round in xeric environments. We found Riccia nigrella on seasonally flooded gravelly exposed sand growing in association with Nostoc cyanobacteria and Bryum lanatum. Please click on an image for a larger file.
Riccia nigrella (with Bryum lanatum), photo taken with cellphone through dissecting scope, Karen Blisard & Russ Kleinman, El Malpais National Monument, Zuni Acoma Trail, December 14, 2018
Riccia nigrella (with Bryum lanatum), photo taken with cellphone through dissecting scope, Karen Blisard & Russ Kleinman, El Malpais National Monument, Zuni Acoma Trail, December 14, 2018
Riccia nigrella, photomicrograph of moistened thallus, Karen Blisard & Russ Kleinman, El Malpais National Monument, Zuni Acoma Trail, December 14, 2018
Riccia nigrella, photomicrograph of dry thallus, Karen Blisard & Russ Kleinman, El Malpais National Monument, Zuni Acoma Trail, December 14, 2018
Riccia nigrella, photomicrograph of cross section of thallus, Karen Blisard & Russ Kleinman, El Malpais National Monument, Zuni Acoma Trail, December 14, 2018
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