Field Guide

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Musci or the mosses are the largest class of Bryophytes.  Mosses have multi-cellular rhizoids, and generally a stem with leaves present. Leaves are generally not deeply lobed or highly segmented. Leaves also contain no oil bodies. Mosses produce sporophytes which lack elaters and may remain present for months.

Hepaticae or Liverworts grow in two major forms, Thalloid and leafy. Thalloid or thallous liverworts are strap like and lack a stem.  Leafy liverworts have a stem then they generally have 2-ranked or 3-ranked leaves which contain oil bodies. Leaves may be lobbed, and highly segmented, with isodiametric cells. Liverworts produce short lived sporophytes, which are normally not present.