Habitat

Lunularia cruciata is a thalloid liverwort that likes to live in areas that have a lot of shade. It can be found growing in shaded areas of gardens, and is a common weed found near greenhouses. They are also found on rocks and soil in moist areas along water.

Gametophyte

Overall structure:

The thalloid body of L. cruciata is a glossy yellow-green color. This species is easily recognizable by the crescent-shaped gemmae cups on the surface of the thalli.

The pale thallus surface of this species is dotted with tiny pores and these pores are bound by pentagon shape boundaries.

Rhizoids:

The colorless rhizoids of this species functions as a mean to fix its thallus to the substrate. The unicellular rhizoids are located on the ventral side of the thallus (the underside).

Asexual Reproduction

Some liverwort, such as L. cruciata, reproduce asexually with the production of gemmae, which are small vegetative propagules housed in small crescent-shaped gemmae cups. As a rain droplet splashes into the gemmae cup, it propels the gemmae out and away from the parent, where it will germinate.