Hornwort

Ceratophyllum demersum

Hornworts are small, ancient plants that grow in damp places like soil, rocks, or tree bark. They don't have roots but help enrich the soil where they live.

Lebensraum: Wetlands

Aussehen

The Hornwort is a small, flat plant, often appearing as a dark green, irregularly shaped patch clinging to moist soil or rocks. It distinguishes itself with slender, horn-like capsules (sporophytes) that grow upright from its base, releasing tiny spores.

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Hornwort

Kategorie

Pflanzen

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

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Interessante Fakten

Hornworts are among Earth's oldest land plants, dating back over 400 million years!

Hornworts have unique internal cavities within their plant body, sometimes filled with helpful microscopic algae!

Their horn-shaped capsules can grow for weeks or even months, slowly releasing countless tiny spores!

Unlike most plants, each hornwort cell usually contains just one large, bowl-shaped chloroplast!

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Hornwort can partner with tiny cyanobacteria living inside its body, which helps it capture vital nitrogen from the air for growth.

Hornwort has a single large chloroplast in each cell, unlike most plants, which efficiently captures sunlight for energy.

Hornwort can release its spores from a unique horn-shaped capsule that continuously grows, allowing it to spread offspring widely.

Maße und Details

Höhe: 1-5 cm
Ausbreitung: 2-10 cm
Essbar: Nein
Giftigkeit: Keine
Lebenszyklus: Mehrjährig

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

symbiotic with

Nostoc cyanobacterium

Nostoc punctiforme

Fixes nitrogen for hornwort's growth.

eaten by

Spanish slug

Arion vulgaris

Feeds on hornwort thalli.

eaten by

Green springtail

Isotoma viridis

Grazes on hornwort surfaces.

Merkmale

Gefäßlos

Dieses Merkmal kennzeichnet Pflanzen, denen spezialisierte Leitgewebe (Xylem und Phloem) für den Transport von Wasser und Nährstoffen fehlen.

Sporenbildend

Sporenbildende Organismen vermehren sich durch die Freisetzung kleiner, oft einzelliger Fortpflanzungseinheiten, die Sporen genannt werden.

Feuchtgebiet

Dieses Lebensraummerkmal kennzeichnet Arten, die in Feuchtgebieten vorkommen. Dies sind Landflächen, die dauerhaft oder saisonal mit Wasser gesättigt sind, darunter Marschland, Sümpfe und Moore.