A liverwort plant close up ()
Liverworts are plants within the Class Marchantiopsida. They are also known as hepatics. The Division Bryophyta consists of liverworts together with mosses.
Generally, most liverworts grow prostrate and consist of a flattened, branching structure (known as the thallus) or plant body. Some liverworts produce leafy stems, which are also flattened. Ancient beliefs included that liverworts cured diseases of the liver, hence the name. The unrelated flowering plant hepatica is sometimes mistakenly called a liverwort, due to the similarity with the alternative name of liverworts: hepatics.
