Identifying Liverworts

Learn about the liverworts of the UK with Ryan Clark

Liverworts are small, non-flowering land plants (bryophytes) that, with mosses and hornworts, were among the first plants on land. Liverworts grow in damp places, absorbing water and nutrients directly from their environment. They may have thin leaves, as in the mosses (the so-called leafy liverworts). Or they may form green plates of apparently leafless tissue, in which case they are called thallose liverworts. There are around 300 species of liverwort in the British Isles, playing a vital role in ecosystems.

This session will provide an introduction to recognising and identifying liverworts. Key topics that will be covered include:

• A recap on separating liverworts from mosses
• Separating liverworts from hornworts
• Separating leafy and thallose liverworts
• Key features for liverwort identification
• Tools and techniques for field identification
• How to identify some common and widespread species.