Prickly Featherwort
CR

Prickly Featherwort

Plagiochila spinulosa

UnknownLCEULCEU

Photo: Photo: (c) Paul Bowyer, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Paul Bowyer

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Prickly Featherwort faces severe threats from habitat destruction and fragmentation due to deforestation, agricultural expansion, and urban development across its limited range. Climate change poses additional risks through altered precipitation patterns and temperature shifts that affect the humid microenvironments essential for this bryophyte's survival. The species' restricted distribution and specialized habitat requirements make it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes.

Threat summary

Habitat

This liverwort species inhabits humid, shaded environments in temperate and subtropical forests, typically growing on tree bark, rotting logs, and moist rock surfaces. It requires consistently high humidity levels and is found in old-growth forest understories and along stream corridors where moisture levels remain stable.

Other threatened species in Plagiochilaceae

VU

Greater Featherwort

Plagiochila asplenioides

Unknown
Killarney FeatherwortCR

Killarney Featherwort

Plagiochila bifaria

Unknown
Lesser FeatherwortCR

Lesser Featherwort

Plagiochila porelloides

Unknown
Spotty FeatherwortCR

Spotty Featherwort

Plagiochila punctata

Unknown

Frequently asked questions

Why is Prickly Featherwort classified as Critically Endangered?
Prickly Featherwort 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. Prickly Featherwort faces severe threats from habitat destruction and fragmentation due to deforestation, agricultural expansion, and urban development across its limited range. Climate change poses additional risks through altered precipitation patterns and temperature shifts that affect the humid microenvironments essential for this bryophyte's survival. The species' restricted distribution and specialized habitat requirements make it particularly vulnerable to environmental changes.
Where does Prickly Featherwort live?
Prickly Featherwort 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 Prickly Featherwort?
The main threats to Prickly Featherwort 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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