| Marchantia | |
|---|---|
| Marchantia polymorpha | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Marchantiophyta |
| Class: | Marchantiopsida |
| Order: | Marchantiales |
| Family: | Marchantiaceae |
| Genus: | Marchantia L., 1753 |
| Species | |
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See text. |
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Marchantia is a genus in the family Marchantiaceae of the order Marchantiales, a group of liverworts.
These are simple plants without roots or vascular systems. They were once considered related to mosses and part of division Bryophyta, but more recently have been assigned their own plant division, Marchantiophyta.
Marchantia thallus shows differentiation into two layers: an upper photosynthetic or assimilatory region and a lower storage region with a well defined upper epidermis with air channels (barrel-shaped). It features tiny cup like structures called gemmae cups, which is used for asexual reproduction.
Multicellular purple colored scales and unicellular rhizoids are present on the ventral surface of the thallus. Antheridia and archegonia are present on special erect gametophores called antheridiophores and archegoniophores respectively born on separate thallai.