saprophytes of liverworts is independent (true or false) give reason
Answers
liverwort is a flowerless, spore-producing plant - with the spores produced in small capsules. The introductory WHAT IS A BRYOPHYTE? page noted that bryophytes have a gametophyte stage and a sporophyte stage. The spore capsule (possibly with a supporting stalk, or seta) is the sporophyte and this grows from the gametophyte stage.
The aim of this page is simply to describe the features you can see in a liverwort. You will see much, but by no means all, of the variety to be found in the liverworts. While the identification of liverworts often requires the use of a microscope, you can learn a lot just by using your eyes and a handlens that magnifies 10 times. In the reference button you’ll find some books with good colour photographs of Australian liverworts. Looking through them will give you a good introduction to liverwort diversityreference link.
The following references are very useful for more detail about this great diversity, from the macroscopic view to the microscopic level. Much of the following information on this page has come from these booksreference link.
What's in a name?
The English word "wort" means "small plant" and it turns up in names such as Pennywort and Bladderwort. The term liverwort originated from the fact that the early herbalists thought that one of the liverworts had some resemblance to a liver - and some use as medicine for liver ailments. Hence the word liverwort for a "liver-like small plant".
As well as the term liverwort you may also see the alternative term hepatic used and this comes from the Greek word "hepatikos" - meaning liver. Do not confuse the ordinary English word hepatic (meaning liverwort) with the genus name Hepatica. The latter is in fact in the flowering plant family Ranunculaceae! That family also contains the genus Ranunculus, the plants of which are commonly called Buttercups.
We'll start with definitions of the two broad liverwort groups - leafy and thallose. After that there'll be a few general points that apply to both types of liverworts. However, liverworts show such diversity that it is not possible to make too many general statements that apply to both the leafy and thallose species. After that, there are links to sections that go into more detail about the different types of liverworts.