bryophyte

[ brahy-uh-fahyt ]

noun

, Botany.

1. any of the Bryophyta, a phylum of nonvascular plants comprising the true mosses and liverworts.

bryophyte

/ ˈbraɪəˌfaɪt; ˌbraɪəˈfɪtɪk /

noun

1. any plant of the phyla Bryophyta (mosses), Hepatophyta (liverworts), or Anthocerophyta (hornworts), having stems and leaves but lacking true vascular tissue and roots and reproducing by spores

bryophyte

/ brī′ə-fīt′ /

1. A member of a large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they reproduce by spores that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.

Derived Forms

• bryophytic, adjective

Other Words From

• bry·o·phyt·ic [brahy-, uh, -, fit, -ik], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bryophyte¹

1875–80; < New Latin Bryophyta name of the group; bryo-, -phyte

Word History and Origins

Origin of bryophyte¹

C19: New Latin, from Greek bruon moss + -phyte

Example Sentences

“In the Mojave Desert, a translucent crystal offers bryophytes much-needed respite from the heat of the sun.”

From Scientific American

We hiked a 1.5-mile loop, a truly Edenic journey that skips across a glowing Bay Creek and scrambles up rugged valley walls festooned in green and black bryophytes.

From Washington Post

"A large part of this third can be explained by the Iceman having both deliberately and inadvertently carried bryophytes during his last, fatal journey."

From Fox News

It found 20-50% of terrestrial molluscs, shrubs and bryophytes, such as moss and liverworts, are threatened with extinction due to a loss of wild areas, expanded agriculture and climate change.

From The Guardian

He added that the pharmaceutical promise of PET may raise the profile of bryophytes, the unsung group of plants that includes liverworts and mosses.

From Los Angeles Times