Mylia taylorii

Mylia taylorii, the Taylor's flapwort, is a species of leafy liverwort.
Description.
"Mylia taylorii" forms dense mats or hemispherical colonial growths of vertical shoots which have a swollen, slimy appearance when damp. The shoots are yellow-green tinged with brown or red, 3 – 8 cm tall. The leaves are up to 2.4 mm long and become close and overlapping towards the shoot tips. The rounded leaves have an entire margin, are attached to the stems obliquely and are succubous. Small narrow underleaves are present.
Asexual reproduction occurs by gemmae can be found on the margins of the upper leaves.
"Mylia taylorii" is dioecious but fertile plants are uncommon in Britain. The dark brown capsule is ovoid - globose.
Distribution.
"Mylia taylorii" is found in mountainous districts of northern Europe, the mountains of Continental Europe, Greenland and eastern North America from Newfoundland to Tennessee. There are scattered records for western North America and eastern Asia. "Mylia taylorii" is probably most common in Great Britain and Scandinavia.
Ecology and conservation.
Typically grows on peaty banks, bases of trees, rock faces, screes and open woodland in high rainfall climates.
According to Ratcliffe's account of oceanic bryophytes bordering the Atlantic, "M. taylorii" is classified as a Western British species.
The distribution of "M. taylorii" is limited by a requirement for at least 120-140 wet days per year.
In Britain it is often found in the widespread derelict forests of sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and downy birch (Betula pubescens), managed as poor sheep pasture with scattered trees, in the uplands of Western Britain.
"Mylia taylorii" is consistently calcifugous in its choice of substrate.
Further reading.
Macvicar, S.M. (1926). The Student’s Handbook of British Hepatics. Wheldon & Wesley Ltd. London.
Smith, A.J.E. (1991). The Liverworts of Britain and Ireland. Cambridge University Press.
Watson, E.V. (1981) British Mosses and Liverworts: An Introductory Work. Cambridge University Press