<I>Marchantia polymorpha</I>

Marchantia polymorpha

Marchantia polymorpha is a species of Liverwort. Its sex organs develop on stalks that grow up from the top surface of a ribbon-like thallus. This plant shows the female sexual structures that look like umbrellas with radiating spokes. When the eggs of Marchantia are fertilized, they will develop into golden yellow spore sacs (sporophytes) on the undersurface of each little female umbrella. The spokes of the male umbrellas are webbed. [CH] {ML}