Revised name: Cephalozia curvifolia
English name: Rustwort
A distinctive leafy liverwort that, from a distance, gives rotting logs a crimson hue. Individual shoots may be dark red or a mix of red and green, but in deep shade shoots may lack red altogether. Each leaf is deeply concave and has two long, curved teeth that come together like pincers.
Sporophytes mature from March to August.
In Scotland, Nowellia curvifolia is widespread on rotting logs, in deciduous woodland in particular, and occasionally on peat. BBS distribution map
Look out for Cephalozia bicuspidata, Lophocolea heterophylla and Odontoschisma denudatum nearby.
Confusion species: Cephalozia bicuspidata
scottishlichens.co.uk 