save the Blue Tier
tasmanian liverworts - hymenophytaceae
Hymenophyton species
 Hymenophyton flabellatum |
We begin by clearing some confusion: there is a filmy fern named Hymenophyllum flabellatum as well as a thallose liverwort named Hymenophyton flabellatum. To add to the confusion the filmy fern looks very similar to the liverwort and they are both epiphytes on manferns in moist situations, often growing on the same substrate.
One clear way of distinguishing the liverwort from filmy ferns is that the former always bifurcates (divides into two) at the growing points while the filmy ferns have multiple segments (divisions).
We discovered our specimen growing along the 3-notches Track just past the Mt. Michael turnoff. It is reported to be 'very common' in wet forest but we have not noticed too many populations.
There is a second species H. leptopodum that we are not familiar with.