Bazzania flaccida
Bazzania flaccida (Dumort.) Grolle
Bazzania denudata (Torrey) Trev.3
Lepidoziaceae
Conservation status. Vulnerable [VU D2].
Morphology and biology. Leafy liverwort forming dark green or brownish green tufts. Stems prostrate or erect, usually dichotomously branched with flagelliform shoots, arising ventrally between the stem and the under-leaves’ bases. Stems together with leaves up to 2 mm wide. The leaves are arranged far apart and do not overlap; lingulate, slightly widest above the base, apex with 2 teeth. Under-leaves’ apices with 3–4 teeth or almost entire. Unisexual, not producing gemmae.
Habitats and populations. Plants grow on moist soil in sub-alpine meadows.
Distribution in Bulgaria. Rila Mts (northern slope of Ravni Chal peak above the Belmeken chalet).
General distribution. Balkan Peninsula (Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia), C and S Europe (Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, Italy and Poland), Caucasus. Temperate-alpine species.
Threats. Potential threat is the extended tourism. The species has a low potential for sexual reproduction (it is bisexual and does not produce gemmae).
Conservation measures taken. The locality of the species is in the area of Rila National Park and in a site of the European ecological network Natura 2000 in Bulgaria.
Conservation measures needed. The monitoring and the assessment of the trends in habitat changes will make possible a prognosis for population development and undertaking actions for species conservation.
References. Petrov 1963.
Author: Anna Ganeva
