liverwort

liv·er·wort  (lvr-wûrt, -wôrt)

n.

Any of numerous small, green, nonvascular plants of the class Hepaticae within the division Bryophyta.

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[From its use in treating diseases of the liver.]

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liverwort

Noun

a plant growing in wet places and resembling green seaweeds or leafy mosses [late Old English liferwyrt]

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liverwort  (lvr-wûrt, -wôrt)

Any of about 6,000 species of bryophyte plants belonging to the phylum Hepatophyta. Many liverworts reproduce asexually by means of gemmae. They also reproduce sexually, and their free-swimming sperm, produced in structures called antheridia, require liquid water, such as splashing raindrops, to reach the egg-producing archegonia. After fertilization, the small sporophyte grows directly on or in the gametophyte and is nourished by it. Liverworts are common in the tropics and often grow in moist soil, on damp rocks, and on tree trunks. Some liverworts have leafy bodies, while others have only a simple thallus. The name liverwort comes from the liverlike shape of the thalli of some species. See more at bryophyte.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

liverwort - any of numerous small green nonvascular plants of the class Hepaticopsida growing in wet places and resembling green seaweeds or leafy mosses hepatic bryophyte, nonvascular plant - any of numerous plants of the division Bryophyta hornwort - liverworts with slender hornlike capsules class Hepaticae, class Hepaticopsida, Hepaticae, Hepaticopsida - liverworts: comprises orders Anthocerotales; Jungermanniales; Marchantiales; Sphaerocarpales leafy liverwort, scale moss - moss-like liverwort with tiny scalelike leaves; usually epiphytic Marchantia polymorpha, hepatica - a common liverwort