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Story: Liverworts and hornworts

Splash cups

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Splash cups

Most liverworts can reproduce vegetatively (without sexual reproduction). When drops of water hit the raised cups on the liverwort’s surface, tiny pieces of tissue called gemmae are splashed out. If these land in a moist area, they grow into a new plant.

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How to cite this page

Maggy Wassilieff, Liverworts and hornworts – Liverworts, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/10685/splash-cups (accessed 5 June 2026).

Story by Maggy Wassilieff, published 1 March 2009.