''Conocephalum conicum'', also known as the great scented liverwort or snakeskin liverwort, is a liverwort species in the genus ''

Conocephalum ''Conocephalum'' is a genus of complex Glossary of botanical terms#thallose, thalloid liverworts in the Order (biology), order Marchantiales and is the only extant genus in the Family (biology), family Conocephalaceae.AKIYAMA, H. (2022). Morpholo ...

''. ''C. conicum'' is part of the ''Conocephalum conicum'' complex, which includes several

cryptic species In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...

. The name ''C. conicum'' refers to the cone-shaped archegoniophore, which bear sporangia.

Habitat and distribution

''C. conicum'' is one of the most common liverworts in northern hemisphere and is widely distributed throughout Canada. ''C. conicum'' is found in open woodlands, sandy banks, wet rocks or cliffs and moist soils and is strongly associated with calcareous substrates.

Morphology

Thalli

''C. conicum'' is the largest of the thalloid liverworts, growing up to 20 cm long. The

thalli Thallus (: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. A thallus usually names the entir ...

can grow to 17 mm wide. The thalli are very strong-smelling, with purplish margins; a dark green, leathery surface; flat and smooth. There is a set of lines running along the thalli's surface. The air pores, which are found between the lines, are more conspicuous. ''trans''-Methyl cinnamate is a major doriferous component from two populations of this liverwort, but has not been identified from other populations.

Reproductive structures

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

Relationships with fungi

''C. conicum'' has been associated with some species of

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

. These fungi form a highly branched

mycelium Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...

outside of the plant which then colonize the outside of the rhizoids and pass into the gametophyte.

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q476335 Marchantiales Flora of Northern America