BRYOPHYTA (1) Bryophyta (Gk: Bryon = moss; phyton = plants) includes the simplest and primitive land plants. ( 2 ) Due to the peculiar type of their habitats, they are regarded as 'the amphibians of the plant kingdom'. (3) Habitat: Bryophytes usually grow in moist and shady places. (4) Specialized habitats: Some bryophytes grow in diverse habitats such as (a) Aquatic (e.g., Riccia fluitans, Ricciocarpus natans, Riella), epiphytes (e.g., Dendroceros, Radula protensa and many mosses), saprophytes (e.g., Buxbaumia aphylla, Cryptothallus mirabilis) (b) Dry habitats such as dry heaths (e.g., Polytrichum juniperinum), deserts (e.g., Tortula desertorum) and dry rocks (e.g., Porella platyphylla). (5) Sexual reproduction: The male sex organ is called as antheridium and the female as archegonium. (6) Salient features of classes (i) Hepaticopsida: The latin word Hepatica means liver. Thus the members of hepticopsida are popularly known as liverw
