Bryophytes of Colorado: Mosses, Liverworts, and Hornworts
William A. Weber Professor and Curator Emeritus, Herbarium COLO University of Colorado Museum, Boulder Fellow
of the Linnean Society of London and Ronald C. Wittmann Museum Associate, Herbarium COLO, Boulder.
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Bryophytes consist of a variety of small green plants including mosses, liverworts and hornworts. (Liverworts and hornworts are also called hepatics.) Although almost too small to appreciate except in mass, they are hardly simple. Unlike the higher plants, to which our naked eyes are attracted by their beautiful flowers, varied leaf forms, or stately trunks, a bryophyte has to be examined in all its parts with the aid of a hand lens or microscope. Such close examination reveals some of the most interesting, unusual, and captivating structures in the plant world.
My colleague, Ron Wittmann, a professional physicist, and I have worked together for some 30 years. Initially we studied and wrote about the flowering plants and the lichens; however, we gradually expanded our interests to the bryophytes, and now our full time has been occupied with them for more than a decade. We agree that this period has been the most exciting one of our botanical lives. (The senior author uses the first person singular). More than thirty years ago, a preliminary publication (Weber, 1973) presented a catalog, keys, and helpful hints on recognition of the mosses. The total came to about 290 species. The liverworts were not treated. Since we began intensive field work, the number of bryophyte species recorded for Colorado has risen to over 500. Even though we covered a lot of ground, it is impossible to explore Colorado adequately in two combined lifetimes. We argue whether we have even reached the point of diminishing returns. Probably we have not. Although necessarily incomplete, this book is the most comprehensive study of Colorado mosses and liverworts to date.
Although not intended as an introductory handbook, beginners will find this book a valuable reference. The Europeans would call it an ‘Excursion-Flora’ since it does not have complete descriptions. Keys to the genera and species are combined with notes on recognition in the field. Much more attention is paid to habitats than one finds in other manuals, for in the Rocky Mountains habitats are not blended as they are in more humid climates.
At the present time a great collaboration of amateur and professional bryologists are cooperating in a project to produce a Bryophyte Flora of North America. This will be the ‘Bible’, encompassing three large volumes, containing keys, descriptions, references, and illustrations of the entire North American flora. So, why should we write a book on Colorado bryophytes? Because a local flora is much smaller than a regional one. Fewer species means fewer closely-related ones that require expert microscopy and access to a comprehensive herbarium in order to make identifications.
Anyone studying bryophytes must learn to rely on a variety of sources. Luckily a number of well-illustrated books are at hand, and the volume of information available on the internet is already very great. For various reasons it has been impossible for us to provide illustrations of more than a few interesting species. However, in this ‘information age’, the internet gives us an abundance of basic information about the life history and anatomy of bryophytes, as well as images of genera and species. The study of bryophytes is not nearly as difficult as it used to be.
We find the study of bryophytes in the field to be extremely exciting, and present this analysis as a beginning step in attracting more serious students of these wonderful little plants that are the ultimate survivors. The color green is a friendly one, and people who study bryophytes are among the most pleasant and cooperative in the world—and they walk slowly. We hope that this book will open a new, small world to the reader.
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