Calliergon cordifolium

HomeLearningSpecies FinderCalliergon cordifolium

Identification notes

C. cordifolium closely resembles Calliergonella cuspidata but is nearly always larger. Candidate C. cordifolium is recognised in the field by its strong nerve which reaches the leaf apex. It can easily be confused with little-branched forms of C. giganteum though. By far the best way to tell the two apart is by microscopical examination of alar cells. The alar cells of C. cordifolium are slightly inflated and merge gradually with the cells above, whereas those of C. giganteum are strikingly enlarged and abruptly differentiated from the cells above.

Read the Field Guide account

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland

View distribution from the BBS Atlas 2014

Similar Species