Gymnocolea inflata

A small, dark-green, brownish-green or almost black, dioicous leafy liverwort which grows on acidic soils or rock, particularly peaty heathlands and acid moors. The leaves have two rounded lobes and the conspicuous, balloon-like perianths, which are usually abundant, make it a very distinctive species. Other leafy liverworts with bilobed leaves (e.g. Leiocolea species) do not have inflated perianths like this. It has a western and northern distribution in Britain and it is widespread in Wales. It is frequent in heathland and moorland in West Glamorgan. Male plants are very uncommon and sporophyte capsules are rarely found. However the inflated peinths produced by the females are deciduous and provide a specialised means of dispersal.