Tiny transient plants

It's been a busy week for appointments and, with rain complicating matters on Wednesday, I got relatively little done in the garden.  However, I did spend several chunks of time pulling weeds, especially on the back slope, taking advantage of the lower temperatures to tackle that thankless chore while the fire ants are still inactive.  While I was pulling up large clumps of grass weeds weighed down by muddy soil, I caught sight of something green I'd never noticed before.  At first I wondered if it could be lichen, which I've never seen locally, but my phone identified it for me, correctly on this occasion I believe.

This is Lunularia cruciata, aka crescent-cup liverwort, one of the world's smallest plants.  It's reported to have antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant properties.  It's native to the Mediterranean area but it's gone "wild" in California.

Unlike lichens, which are described as symbiotic combinations of fungi and algae, it turns out that liverworts are plants, ancient ones at that.  According to Britannica, fossils of liverworts more than 470 million years old have been found in Argentina.   Liverworts are related to mosses, which are also ancient plants.  Both are classified as Bryophyta.  They both lack vascular systems and produce spores rather than flowers.  Both have also managed to survive and thrive through dramatic changes in earth's climate.

Moss is also a relative anomaly here, albeit something we see on a seasonal basis provided we get a decent amount of rain.  This year's rainfall is proving to be almost as substantial as what we got during the last "water year" (calculated from October 1st through September 30th of the following calendar year).  Even though our total to date is just over sixteen inches, the accumulation of moss looks thicker than ever.  It's particularly noticeable on my shady, east-facing back slope.

Closeup of a relatively chunky segment of moss, which seems to like growing next to the concrete block stairs

View of the moss-lined stairs on the route down to the bottom of the slope in January

View along the route up the stairs in March with the moss even thicker

And it's crept to the top of the concrete stairway in the main level of the garden too

Moss has also fared well in the crevices between paving stones in many areas.  I've heard people complain about moss creating a slipping hazard, particularly when it shows up in paved areas, but it's not been a problem here.  For one thing, our summer heat sends it into a rapid retreat.  But I've also read that it's not moss but rather algae, which develops under similar circumstances, that creates slippery surfaces.  You can find an interesting article about the myths regarding moss here.

I like the soft footpath that moss creates in areas of my garden.  It's too bad that most of these disappear once summer arrives.

Moss-coated front garden path from the driveway to the lath house

Much as I appreciate the bright chartreuse green color of these transient plants in my garden, I recognize that they may have less appeal to some readers.  Here are a few of the newest spring arrivals in my garden to give you a jolt of color to start off the weekend.

Arctotis 'Large Marge'

"Blue" Freesia

Iris hollandica 'Sapphire Beauty'

Leucospermum 'High Gold' (which I formerly identified as 'Goldie' based on the seller's ID)

Tulipa clusiana 'Lady Jane'

Enjoy your weekend!

All material © 2012-2024 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party