Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Hepatophyta
Class: Hepaticae
Order: Marchantiales
Family: Marchantiaceae
Genus: Marchantia
Phylum: Hepatophyta
Class: Hepaticae
Order: Marchantiales
Family: Marchantiaceae
Genus: Marchantia
Evolution of the Liverwort
The first liverworts arose as green alga was making its transition onto land during the Devonian Era some 473 million years ago in Argentina. Other theories suggest that liverworts and other non-vascular plants evolved from developed from a primitive group of vascular plants. Liverwort fossils appear as cryptospores (sporelike structures), and can be used as fossil fuels for industrial purposes.