Conocephalum

views updated

Conocephalum (order Marchantiales) A genus of robust, thallose liverworts. C. conicum has a broad, ribbon-like thallus which is irregularly forked and up to 20 cm long and 2 cm wide. The upper surface is perforated with pores which are quite clearly visible to the naked eye; each pore occurs at the centre of a hexagonal marking beneath which is an air chamber (areola). These liverworts are common on rocks and on soil in habitats that are both moist and somewhat shaded, e.g. on banks of streams and ditches.

More From encyclopedia.com