Life in Newburgh on Ythan

By Talpa

Feeling jaundiced? This might be what you need.

This is a liverwort a member of an ancient group of plants. There are around 9000 species, they enjoy a worldwide distribution and they have existed for 400 million years. I reckon that makes them a most successful group! This one is, I think, the Crescent Cup Liverwort Lunularia cruciata.

Their name derives from their lobed, liver-shaped leaves. In past times plants used as medicines were often known as wort; liverworts were, as you might imagine, thought to be most effective against liver disorders. 

Most liverworts can reproduce vegetatively (without any need for messy sex); when drops of water hit the raised cups on the liverwort's surface, tiny pieces of tissue called gemmae are splashed out. If you look closely you can make out the gemmae in the cups, awaiting a falling raindrop. If they land in a moist area, they will grow into a new plant. 

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