The Radulaceae, of which the genus Radula is the only
representative in Tasmania, is a prominent component of liverworts in wet forest and rainforests,
where it often grows in mats on
tree trunks.
There are around 13 species of Radula recorded for Tasmania.
The genus is united by the presence ventral lobules and the absence
of underleaves.
The only other Tasmanian liverwort genus that may be mistaken for
Radula is the unrelated
Cololejeunea. Cololejeunea
however, grows only on the leaves of other plants and has ventral rhizoids.
Fresh material is very useful for species determination in
Radula as the
oil bodies of some species can be diagnostic.
A key to the species is being developed.
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