Kingdom Plantae Class Jungermanniopsida Family Gymnomitriaceae Scientific name Marsupella profunda | Division Marchantiophyta Order Jungermanniales Genus Marsupella Rank Species | |
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Marsupella profunda, the western rustwort, is a liverwort endemic to Europe and known only from Portugal, (Azores and Madeira), Spain (Canary Islands) and Great Britain (Cornwall).
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Distribution and habitat
The species is rare in Britain; it is known from just ten locations, all in Cornwall. These sites at Lower Bostraze and Leswidden, St Austell Clay Pits and Tregonning Hill, are all protected as Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
Within Cornwall, Western Rustwort is generally found growing on micaceous or clay waste substrates which are flat or gently sloping. Some patches occur on granitic rocks, usually where these are soft or crumbling. It appears to be a pioneer species, the largest populations being found on surfaces showing the early stages of colonisation by other bryophytes and by vascular plants. It disappeared from at least six Cornish sites between 1971 and 2005 due to shading from Common Gorse Ulex europaeus and Bramble Rubus fruticosus agg.
Conservation
The species has several conservation designations. It is listed on Schedule 8 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, in Appendix 1 of the Bern Convention, and in Annex II of the European Community Habitats and Species Directive.