This unusual piece of greenery is a floating or aquatic liverwort, also known as a crystalwort (Riccia fluitans). It holds its shape, though the feel of it is like a gel. There is both an aquatic and terrestrial form. It is considered a primitive or ancestral plant, similar to mosses in that it is nonvascular.
It is widely distributed throughout North America, and provides habitat for fry and insect larvae, so they're integral to an ecosystem. It's able to survive through northeast winters, and grows from fragments that branch a lot, ending in a little fork or notch.
A neat little find!
No comments:
Post a Comment