ClimateSeptember 6, 2026
liverworts
LIV-er-worts
Definition
A small, non-vascular, flowerless plant that grows in moist habitats, often appearing as a thin, flat, leaf-like layer.
Etymology
The word comes from the Old English 'lifer' (liver) and 'wyrt' (plant/root). It reflects an ancient belief from the 'doctrine of signatures' that the plant's liver-shaped leaves could be used to treat liver ailments.
In the news
The author uses the term to describe the dense, layered plant communities found in the Arctic tundra, which are so small they often go unnoticed without close inspection.
A lush knee-high jungle grows in the Arctic, but warming is changing Earth's mini-greenhouse
Read the full article ↗yoursun.com