Petalwort  (Petalophyllum ralfsii)

Learn about the scientific name of this species and how it fits into the tree of life at Nature Navigator.

Description

Petalwort is a tiny, delicate liverwort, with a flattened pale green thallus, featuring crisped raised projections called 'lamellae' (3), which radiate out from the thickened central mid-rib (4). These projections, which have something of a 'frilly' appearance, are just one cell thick, and are translucent (4). The base, which is tuberous, is embedded in the substrate (2).

All liverworts are named because the lobed species were thought to resemble the liver. During Medieval times, common belief held that the appearance of a plant indicated which part of the human body it could cure; liverworts were therefore thought to cure liver ailments (5).

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