# Yellow-ladle Liverwort (*Scapania bolanderi*)

The Yellow-ladle Liverwort is a small, green plant that loves to grow in damp places. It looks like tiny cups and is very soft to touch, making it a fun find in nature!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wetlands

![Yellow-ladle Liverwort](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Scapania_bolanderi.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Des Callaghan, CC0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scapania_bolanderi.jpg)

## Appearance

The Yellow-ladle Liverwort has distinctive yellowish-green to brownish thalli (flat plant bodies) that grow in dense, mat-like patches. Each thallus is deeply bilobed, appearing somewhat spoon or ladle-shaped, which helps distinguish it from other liverworts.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Marchantiophyta
- **Class:** Jungermanniopsida
- **Order:** Jungermanniales
- **Family:** Scapaniaceae
- **Genus:** Scapania

## Interesting facts

- Ancient ancestors of liverworts were among the first plants on land!
- It forms dense green carpets, creating mini-forests for insects!
- Liverworts don't have roots, stems, or leaves like most plants!
- This tiny plant helps slow down erosion on forest floors.

## Special abilities

- **Moisture Magnet:** Yellow-ladle Liverwort can absorb water directly through its entire surface, which helps it quickly rehydrate after dry spells.
- **Spore Sprinkler:** Yellow-ladle Liverwort releases tiny spores into the wind, helping it spread and colonize new, damp forest nooks.
- **Pioneer Power:** Yellow-ladle Liverwort can grow on bare rock or decaying wood, helping to create soil for future plants.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 1-5 cm
- **Spread:** 2-10 cm
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [Black Slug](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-slug) (*Arion ater*) — slugs graze on its moist tissues
- **Depends on:** [Sitka Spruce](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sitka-spruce) (*Picea sitchensis*) — provides stable, moist microhabitat for tree seedlings
- **Symbiotic with:** Cyanobacterium (*Nostoc commune*) — hosts nitrogen-fixing microbes in its thallus

## Traits

- [Nonvascular](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nonvascular): This trait characterizes plants lacking specialized vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) for transporting water and nutrients.
- [Shade Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/shade-tolerant): Shade tolerant plants are adapted to grow and thrive in areas with low light levels, requiring less direct sunlight.
- [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Ancient Lineage](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ancient-lineage): This trait signifies organisms belonging to a very old evolutionary group with ancestors dating back millions of years.
- [Decomposer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/decomposer): Describes organisms that break down dead organic material, recycling nutrients back into the ecosystem.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.
- [Miniature](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/miniature): Pertaining to species that are significantly smaller than typical or average for their kind.
- [Endangered](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/endangered): Endangered status indicates a species is at a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always wash your hands after touching plants, just to be safe!

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Yellow-ladle Liverwort?

Compare growth form, branching, tiny leaves and any spore capsules. Mosses, liverworts and lichens can share a spot but are very different organisms. Moss Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Yellow-ladle Liverwort?

1-5 cm

### How wide does Yellow-ladle Liverwort spread?

2-10 cm

### Is Yellow-ladle Liverwort edible?

No

### Is Yellow-ladle Liverwort toxic?

None

### What is Yellow-ladle Liverwort's lifecycle?

Perennial

### Where is Yellow-ladle Liverwort usually found?

Wetlands

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Yellow-ladle Liverwort: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/yellow-ladle-liverwort)