Sphaerocarpaceae is a family of liverworts known as bottle liverworts. Approximately ten species are included in this family, most of them in the genus Sphaerocarpos, but one additional species in the genus Geothallus.
Distribution
The majority of species in the family occur along the western edge of the Americas, from Washington to central Chile.
However, the type species for
Sphaerocarpos,
S. michelii, is native to Europe. The weedy species
Sphaerocarpos texanus is distributed widely in fields and gardens of North America, western Europe, and Mediterranean Africa. It may have been introduced with soil brought with crops or garden plants imported from the Americas.
Classification
The group was recognized as a tribe by Barthélemy Dumortier in 1874
and elevated to family rank in 1891 by
Moritz Heeg, under the name "Sphaerocarpeae".
Two extant
genus are recognized, with a single species in
Geothallus and the remaining species assigned to
Sphaerocarpos
Species
-
Geothallus tuberosus
-
Sphaerocarpos cristatus
-
Sphaerocarpos donnellii
-
Sphaerocarpos drewiae
-
Sphaerocarpos hians
-
Sphaerocarpos michelii
-
Sphaerocarpos stipitatus
-
Sphaerocarpos texanus
External links
