Microlejeunea ulicina Fairy Beads

A tiny, dioicous leafy liverwort which grows tightly appressed to the bark of trees such as willow, oak, birch, alder and beech. It also grows over other bryophytes and is occasionally found on rock. It is one of the smallest bryophytes in the British flora and is not easy to see with any detail without a hand lens. The oval leaves give the impression of a miniscule chain of alternating beads on shoots that spread out over the surface of the bark. It is a Suboceanic species which has a western and northern distribution in Britain. It is found throughout Wales and it is common and abundant in West Glamorgan in all types of woodland environments. Male plants and sporophytes are unknown in Britain.