Pleurozia purpurea a carnivorous UK Liverwort

[fredg]

This subject arose in discussion yesterday with Stephen Morley at his open day. I mentioned my Liverworts and said a carnivorous one would link two of my plant types and there it is.

www.bbsfieldguide.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/liverworts/Pleurozia_purpurea.pdf

The lower leaf lobes of Pleurozia species are fused, forming a closed water sac covered by a movable lid similar in structure to those of the angiosperm genus Utricularia. These sacs were assumed to play a role in water storage, but a 2005 study on Pleurozia purpurea found that the sacs attract and trap ciliates, much in the same way as Utricularia. Observations of plants in situ also revealed a large number of trapped prey within the sacs, suggesting that the species in this genus obtain some benefit from a carnivorous habit.

BTW , it's North American too