Hornwort

Hornwort, any one of a group of plants related to liverworts and mosses and growing world-wide, but most commonly in warm, moist regions. A hornwort reproduces in a cycle known as the alternation of generations. It forms a gametophyte in the first stage of its life and a sporophyte in the second stage. The gametophyte is a small plant body called a thallus. The sporophyte is from 3/16–4 3/4 in (0.5–12 cm) high and resembles the horns of a cow.