Bluish Veilwort - Metzgeria violacea
Forms patches of 1 mm wide, yellowish green thalli that end in narrow gemma bearing branches which protrude from the substrate. The gemmae of this species are restricted to the very tip of these branches. Long dry specimens are unique in turning blue, hence its former name. Sporophytes are rare.
Twigs and branches of deciduous trees, especially willow (Salix), but also old elders (Sambucus nigra) and young elms (Ulmus).
All year.
Common.
Uncommon.
Uta Hamzaoui
Knighton Park
07 February 2016
David Nicholls
Charnwood Lodge
15 February 2014
David Nicholls
Cossington Meadows
25 February 2017
Steve Woodward
Ulverscroft
16 February 2010
Melinda Bell
Grace Dieu, woods
22 February 2021
gemmae on tips of thallus
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Species profile
- Common names
- Blueish Veilwort
- Species group:
- Mosses & Liverworts
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Metzgeriales
- Family:
- Metzgeriaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 9
- First record:
- 24/02/2018 (Nicholls, David)
- Last record:
- 31/03/2024 (Smith, Peter)
Total records by month
% of records within its species group
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Latest records
Melinda Bell
Willesley Wood
01 January 2023
Melinda Bell
Willesley Wood
01 January 2023
gemmae on branch tips
