Easily mis-identified as : Marchantia liverwort species, but they lack the smooth surface of the thallus ('leaves') typical of those found in liverworts of the Pellia Genus. They also lack the 'umbrella spokes' of Marchantia.

The capsules (not shown) are produced on short lived stalks (hyaline), and have four longitudinal valves which open to release the spores.

Neels' Pellia is not as common as Dripwort (Pellia epiphylla) but is nevertheless fairly frequent in the UK, mainly to the west, or north of England and Scotland.

The above specimen is not normal for Pellia species, and a plausible explanation, put forward by two people independently (one, the Author), is that the liverwort may be reacting to a substance in the soil. The author himself thinks that some metallic mineral in the soil may be replacing magnesium in the porphyrins (either chlorophyll itself, or some derivative of it). Porphyrins with metallic centres are highly coloured. Haemoglobin has a single atom of iron at the centre, and when oxygenated (to oxyhaemoglobin) is bright red. Another haem-like compounds found naturally is the manganese-based Pinnaglobin found in a mollusc and which is brown. On the other hand, the abnormal purple colouration may simply be due to some anthocyanin pigments changing colour in response to pH differences in the soil, however, the author can find no mention of anthocyanins within Pellia species. So the puzzle of the purple colouring remains, it is mysterious.

This bryophyte has the largest spermatozoid of all the bryophytes.

SACCULATANES This thallose (leafy) liverwort unusually smells aromatic, but tastes intensely pungent and acrid. It contains several aromatic compounds and diterpene dialdehydes such as Sacculatal (18-hydroxy-7,16-sacculatadien-11,12-dial; which is a prenyldrimane) being one of the latter that has been identified. Sacculatal can induce contact dermatitis and is the means by which it protects itself against being eaten by insects. Both Sacculatal and the stereoisomer Isosacculatal are present in this Liverwort. Various other sacculatanes occur in other Liverworts, such as in Porella perrottetiana and Trichocoleopsis sacculata, from which the compound derives its name. These Liverworts are all strongly sharp-tasting and thus anti-feeding, and all may induce contact dermatitis. They contain such derivatives of Sacculatal as 7,17-sacculatadiene-11,12-dial which promotes tumors.

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