18 September 2013

LIVERWORTS

I went plant shopping recently and instead of looking at the plants in a pot, I saw some weird looking vegetative growth on the soil.

Out of curiosity, I took a closer look and was pleasantly surprised to see liverworts. From the Marchantiophyta Division, the plant structure consists of a flattened prostrate thallus. The leafy form is not shown here.

They were believed to be beneficial in treating liver ailments. Most of them grow in moist environments although some grow in relatively dry or submerged conditions. What is seen here is the gametophyte and not the sporophyte, which contains the spores.