Liverworts• Division Hepatophyta • small, green, non-vascular plant • grows in moist environment• can be divided into two major groups

• leafy liverworts• thallose liverworts

• does not have stems and leaves• made of flattened soft green lobes

•

Classification of Liverworts

Kingdom PlantaeBryophytes

Division Hepatophyta

Characteristics

• Size: leafy filament range from 0.5 mm in diameter to a thallus more than 20 cm wide

• Gametophyte – sometimes have cuticle

• Spores have thick walls • Sporangia unstalk• Shed spores for a short time• Rhizoids are always unicellular• Lack midrib; lobed and bilaterally symmetrical

Two Major Groups

Leafy Liverworts (approx. 80%)    - leaves three ranked     - leaves lack a midrib     - leaves one cell layer thick      - gametophyte appears flattened

(Order: Jungermanniales, Haplomitriales, Takakiales)

Thallose Liverworts– Flat, ribbon-like

(Marchantiales, Sphaer ocarpales, Monocleales, Metzgeriales)

• Upper side is photosynthetic• Lower side is achlorophyllous and used for storage

Sporophyte

– Lack stomata

– Anchored in the gametophyte by a knob-like foot

– Spherical, unstalked

– Some liverworts stalklike seta grows from a foot

– Capsule covered by a calyptra

– Elaters –dead cells

Reproduction

Asexual Reproduction– Death of older plants– Production of Gemmae

(ovoid, star-shape,or lens-shape pieces of tissue

Sexual Reproduction– Spores– Archegonia

(archegoniosphores)– Antheridia (antheridiosphores)

Life Cycle

Difference from Mosses

Features Mosses Liverworts

Stem & Leaves All Have Not all

Leaf Arrangement Radially In one plane

Capsules and Seta green, brown or red dark brown to black and oval in shape with a clear, transparent seta.

Capsule opening One end Several opening

Midrib Present Not present

Economic Importance

Features Mosses Liverworts

Leaves Have serrations, hairs

lobed

Third row of leaves

Rarely Always

• Prevent Erosion• To collect and store water (forest)• Some use in aquarium• Food for fishes

Pictures

Marchantia polymorpha L.

ACTIVITY time

Instruction: I will give a letter and you will recall and jot down IMPORTANT words from my presentation starting with that letter.

P.S. I will be giving the number of how many words you will write down

Example: we are talking about cyanobacteria; letter “C”; 2 separate answers

Answer: Chromoplasm; centroplasm

Letters

1. Letter “ S”; 4 separate answers2. Letter “ A”; 4 separate answers3. Letter “ G”; 2 separate answers

Answers

1. Letter S

Sporangia , Spores , Sphaer ocarpales, Sporophyte, Stomata, Storage, Sexual Reproduction, Star-shaped gemmae

2. Letter A

Achlorophyllous, Asexual Reproduction, Archegonia, Archegoniosphores, Antheridia, Antheridiosphores

3. Letter G

Gametophyte, gemmae