# 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.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 2
- **Habitat:** Wetlands
- **Also known as:** Hornworts

![Hornwort](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Ceratophyllum_demersum_2010-8-14_RioMontoro_SierraMadrona.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Javier martin, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ceratophyllum_demersum_2010-8-14_RioMontoro_SierraMadrona.jpg)

## Appearance

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.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Anthocerotophyta
- **Class:** Anthocerotopsida
- **Order:** Anthocerotales
- **Family:** Anthocerotaceae
- **Genus:** Anthoceros

## Interesting facts

- 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!

## Special abilities

- **Nitrogen Factory Friend:** Hornwort can partner with tiny cyanobacteria living inside its body, which helps it capture vital nitrogen from the air for growth.
- **Super Solar Panel:** Hornwort has a single large chloroplast in each cell, unlike most plants, which efficiently captures sunlight for energy.
- **Continuous Spore Dispenser:** Hornwort can release its spores from a unique horn-shaped capsule that continuously grows, allowing it to spread offspring widely.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 1-5 cm
- **Spread:** 2-10 cm
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial

## Ecological connections

- **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.

## Traits

- [Nonvascular](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nonvascular): This trait characterizes plants lacking specialized vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) for transporting water and nutrients.
- [Spore Producing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spore-producing): Spore-producing organisms reproduce by releasing small, often single-celled, reproductive units called spores.
- [Ancient Lineage](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ancient-lineage): This trait signifies organisms belonging to a very old evolutionary group with ancestors dating back millions of years.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.

## Collections

- [Fungi](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fungi)
- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Enjoy looking at hornworts, but avoid picking or touching them to let them grow peacefully.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Hornwort?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Hornwort?

1-5 cm

### How wide does Hornwort spread?

2-10 cm

### Is Hornwort edible?

No

### Is Hornwort toxic?

None

### What is Hornwort's lifecycle?

Perennial

### Where is Hornwort usually found?

Wetlands

## Where to spot

- [Blydenburgh Park Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/blydenburgh-park-historic-district) — New York, US · Historic District
- [Greene–Sullivan State Forest](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/greene-sullivan-state-forest) — Indiana, US · Forest
- [Kootenay Lake Provincial Park - Midge Creek Site](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/kootenay-lake-provincial-park-midge-creek-site) — British Columbia, CA · State Park

[View all places to see Hornwort](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/hornwort)

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Hornwort: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/hornwort)