Common Frillwort
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Common Frillwort

Fossombronia pusilla

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Photo: iNaturalist: (c) Stefan Gey, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Stefan Gey

Overview

Common Frillwort (Fossombronia pusilla) is a tiny leafy liverwort with distinctive frilled, translucent leaves that form small rosettes or patches on soil surfaces. This diminutive bryophyte plays an important ecological role as a pioneer species, helping to stabilize soil and create microhabitats for other small organisms in early successional environments.

Common Frillwort (Fossombronia pusilla) faces severe decline due to habitat loss and degradation of its specialized wetland environments. This small liverwort is particularly vulnerable to changes in water quality, hydrological patterns, and human disturbance of its ephemeral pool and marsh habitats.

Threat summary

Habitat

Common Frillwort grows on bare, disturbed clay and sandy soils along field margins, footpaths, and recently cleared areas. It thrives in locations with seasonal moisture fluctuations, particularly on compacted earth that remains damp during winter and spring months.

Frequently asked questions

Why is Common Frillwort classified as Critically Endangered?
Common Frillwort is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Common Frillwort (Fossombronia pusilla) faces severe decline due to habitat loss and degradation of its specialized wetland environments. This small liverwort is particularly vulnerable to changes in water quality, hydrological patterns, and human disturbance of its ephemeral pool and marsh habitats.
Where does Common Frillwort live?
Common Frillwort occurs in across multiple regions. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Common Frillwort?
The main threats to Common Frillwort are ai-1, ai-2, ai-3, and ai-4. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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