Porella platyphylla

Description

The commonest Porella in England and familiar to many bryologists. Shoots are up to 1.5-4 mm wide, and several centimetres long. It is larger than most other lowland leafy liverworts, grows as loose patches or wefts of pinnate shoots, and often looks rather untidy because its leaf edges curl upwards. Leaves are up to 2 mm long and wide. Turning over one of its dull, usually dark green shoots will reveal a characteristic leaf arrangement: a blunt-tipped lobule with up-curled edges at the base of each leaf, and a row of broad underleaves with up-curled edges along the stem. The lobules are one-fifth to one-eighth the size of the leaves.