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hornwort

[ hawrn-wurt, -wawrt ]

noun

  1. any aquatic plant of the genus Ceratophyllum, found in ponds and slow streams.


hornwort

/ ˈhɔːnˌwɜːt /

noun

  1. any aquatic plant of the genus Ceratophyllum, forming submerged branching masses in ponds and slow-flowing streams: family Ceratophyllaceae
  2. any of a group of bryophytes belonging to the phylum Anthocerophyta , resembling liverworts but with hornlike sporophytes


hornwort

/ hôrnwûrt′,-wôrt′ /

  1. Any of about 100 species of small bryophyte plants belonging to the phylum Anthocerophyta. Unlike liverworts but like mosses, hornwort sporophytes have stomata. The hornwort gametophyte consists of a low thallus, out of which numerous slender, upright sporophytes tipped with sporangia grow. The sporophyte has a meristem that elongates the sporophyte with new growth, a feature that distinguishes the plant from the other bryophytes. The name of the hornworts was suggested by the hornlike appearance of the sporophytes.
  2. See more at bryophyte


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Word History and Origins

Origin of hornwort1

First recorded in 1795–1805; horn + wort 2

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Example Sentences

It is the Hornwort (Ceratophyllum) gently wriggling or moving from side to side.

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