Brophytes

These are the mosses and liverworts. Liverworts are plants requiring damp conditions and they are often found in shade by water or near ditches, where they make green growths on the surface of the soil or on rocks. The flattish visible part of the plant is called the thallus and from its underside are produced simple root-like growths which anchor it to the ground. Most liverworts can increase by sending out branches which eventually become detached from the main plant. They can also reproduce sexually and after the fertilization of egg a stalk is produced from the upper surface of the thallus. At the top of the stalk is a capsule containing spores which when released to fall on a suitable place for growth, will produce a new generation of liverworts