Identification notes
Big, blowsy and very beautiful – Bazzania trilobata is unmistakable when growing well in a humid place such as a wooded ravine.
It’s one of the largest of our leafy liverworts and so desiccates fast. Hence it often seems to do best when growing close to fast-flowing rivers and streams in deep valleys, especially in the less oceanic parts of its range, such as in SW England, where it also takes advantage of shelter from wind in gaps in rock clitter on tors. In areas of very high rainfall, such as Snowdonia and the west of Scotland and SW Ireland, you might encounter Bazzania right out in the open, such as on sheltered north-facing sub-montane slopes but even then, it rarely strays too far from a humidifying source, such as a stream waterfall.
When plants dry out during dry spells, the shoots bear quite a strong resemblance to certain Porella species.
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