Nardia compressa

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Identification notes

The classic habitat of this semi-aquatic leafy liverwort is in the upper reaches of fast-flowing non-basic streams and rivers. Here it can be abundant, but it is also found in a range of wet habitats from sea-level to mountain-top.

No other liverworts of the same kind of aquatic habitat have almost round, unlobed leaves that are pressed together so that shoots are laterally compressed.  So once known, N. compressa is a straightforward species to identify in the hand. In some headwater streams it is a member of a species-poor but characteristic community of dark green to black species which also includes Racomitrium aciculare.

Read the Field Guide account

Distribution in Great Britain and Ireland

View distribution from the BBS Atlas 2014

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