# California asterella

*Calasterella californica*

To survive intense summer droughts, it rolls its green edges inward to expose a dark, purple-black underside, perfectly camouflaging with the dry soil.

- **Taxonomy:** Plantae › Marchantiophyta › Marchantiopsida › Marchantiales › Aytoniaceae › Calasterella
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Shaded clay banks, rocky slopes, chaparral, and oak woodlands.
- **Diet:** Autotrophic (photosynthesis, absorbing water and minerals directly through rhizoids).
- **Range:** California, USA, Baja California, Mexico
- **Size:** Thallus lobes 5-15 mm wide, forming sprawling mats.
- **Lifespan:** Perennial (clones can persist indefinitely under favorable conditions)
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Urbanization, severe wildfires, and soil compaction or erosion caused by off-trail hiking.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. You can safely observe this liverwort up close, but avoid stepping on its delicate mats, as they are fragile and play a key role in preventing soil erosion on steep banks.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/dd268807-00af-45b9-b862-aa9a029fa8e0
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1612368

- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/20969/medium.jpg (Ken-ichi Ueda, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.