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How are mosses, liverworts, and hornworts classified?
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Bryophyte
Bryophyte moss growing on oak trees.
While mosses, liverworts, and hornworts were historically grouped together in the division Bryophyta, modern taxonomy classifies them into three distinct divisions based on molecular evidence. The term bryophyte is now used informally to refer to these simple, nonvascular terrestrial plants.213
The current classification is as follows:
- Division Bryophyta: This division now consists exclusively of mosses. They are characterized by a dominant, free-living gametophyte and a sporophyte that is dependent on the gametophyte for nutrients.24
- Division Marchantiophyta: This division comprises the liverworts. Their classification relies heavily on gametophyte structure, with sporophyte features providing additional evidence for evolutionary relationships.24
- Division Anthocerotophyta: This division contains the hornworts. Molecular evidence indicates they have an evolutionary history distinct from both mosses and liverworts.21
In mosses and hornworts, the structure of the sporangium is particularly important for distinguishing major evolutionary lines, while gametophytic features are used to differentiate between genera and species.2