[liv-er-wurt, -wawrt] 
| any mosslike plant of the class Hepaticae, growing chiefly on damp ground, rocks, or on tree trunks and helping the decay of logs and the disintegration of rocks. |
| liv·er·wort (lĭv'ər-wûrt', -wôrt') n. Any of numerous small, green, nonvascular plants of the division Marchantiophyta, growing in moist environments and consisting of either a leafy mosslike structure or a flat thallus that is often lobed. [From its use in treating diseases of the liver.] |
| liverwort (lĭv'ər-wûrt', -wôrt') Pronunciation Key
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. |
ərˌwɜrt