Moon-leaved pincerwort (Cephalozia lunulifola) is a common leafy liverwort that is found on well-decayed logs in the forest. It is a tiny plant that is about 1 mm wide that appears as green fuzz on well-decayed wood often near the lower side of a log where it is shaded and moist. It often grows with finger-leaf liverwort (Blepharostoma trichophyllum) that is equally small in size.

The genus, Cephalozia, is a large group of species that are often very difficult to identify given their minute size. However, the genus itself is often easy to identify with careful examination because almost all plants in the genus have bilobed leaves arrange in two rows along the stem and the stem cells are large and appear inflated which is a very distinctive feature of this genus.

 

Moon-leaved pincerwort appears to be one of the most common species in BC. It is distinguished from most other species by having leaves arranged vertically along the stem. The lower portion of the leaf is decurrent which means the lower portion of the leaf is attached to the stem by a strip of cells that runs down the stem unlike the upper part of the leaf that abruptly joins the stem as shown in the above photo.

Another feature of Cephalozia  is their ability to produce gemmae. These are single cells that form at the ends of leaves that detach from the leaf and can grow to produce a new plant. This is a form of asexual reproduction similar to other plants where fragments of the plant easily detach from the parent plant and have the capacity to form new individuals.

The species name lunulifolia comes from the lunate or crescent moon-shaped gap or sinus between the two lobes of the leaf.