Conocephalum conicum


Conocephalum conicum, the great scented liverwort, common mushroom-headed liverwort or snakeskin liverwort, is a liverwort species in the genus Conocephalum .
A lunularic acid decarboxylase has been detected from C. conicum.
The larvae of the moth Epimartyria pardella feed on C. conicum.

Description

Conocephalum conicum has very wide thalli which can form large mats.

Thalli

The thalli can grow to 17 meters wide, large for a liverwort. The thalli are very strong-smelling, with purplish margins; a dark green, leathery surface; flat and smooth. They smell slightly of stale urine and fecal matter. This is due to the copious amount of sulfur and nitrogen it absorbs from the soil. There is a set of lines running along the thalli's surface. The air pores, which are found between the lines, are more conspicuous.

Reproductive structures

Male plants bear unstalked, terminal cushions. Female plants have terminal conical receptacles on stalks, which are shortly lobed.