Liverwort facts for kids
Liverworts are a group of very simple plants. They are often thought to be some of the earliest plants to ever grow on Earth. Scientists believe that mosses, hornworts, and even all the bigger plants we see today might have evolved from liverworts.
Liverworts are usually grouped with mosses and hornworts. These groups are called Bryophytes. Some scientists now place liverworts in their own special group called the Marchantiophyta. But for now, we can just call them liverworts.
These small plants often have flat bodies. Some have flat stems with scales that overlap.
How Liverworts Reproduce
Liverworts have a special way of reproducing called an alternation of generations. This means their life cycle has two main stages. For most of its life, a liverwort plant has cells with only one set of chromosomes. This stage is called the gametophyte.
They also have a short-lived stage called the sporophyte. This part grows on a stalk and has two sets of chromosomes. The sporophyte quickly releases tiny spores and then dies. These spores help new liverworts grow.
Images for kids
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The archegonium of Porella. -
A sporophyte of Porella emerging from its archegonium. -
Porella platyphylla clump growing on a tree. -
Pellia epiphylla, growing on moist soil. -
Plagiochila asplenioides, a leafy liverwort. -
Riccia fluitans, an aquatic thallose liverwort. -
Conocephalum conicum, a large thallose liverwort.
See also
In Spanish: Hepáticas para niños
