Hornworts are a group of non-vascular plants constituting the divisionAnthocerotophyta. The common name refers to the elongated horn-like structure, which is thesporophyte. As inmosses andliverworts, the flattened, green plant body of a hornwort is thegametophyte plant.
Hornworts may be found worldwide, though they tend to grow only in places that are damp or humid. Some species grow in large numbers as tiny weeds in the soil of gardens and cultivated fields. The total number of species is still uncertain. While there are more than 300 published species names, the actual number could be as low as 100–150 species.[1]
23,420 species of vascular plant have been recorded in South Africa, making it the sixth most species-rich country in the world and the most species-rich country on the African continent. Of these, 153 species are considered to be threatened.[2] Ninebiomes have been described in South Africa:Fynbos, SucculentKaroo,desert,Nama Karoo,grassland,savanna,Albany thickets, theIndian Ocean coastal belt, andforests.[3]
The 2018South African National Biodiversity Institute'sNational Biodiversity Assessment plant checklist lists 35,130 taxa in the phylaAnthocerotophyta (hornworts (6)),Anthophyta (flowering plants(33534)),Bryophyta (mosses (685)),Cycadophyta (cycads (42)),Lycopodiophyta (Lycophytes(45)),Marchantiophyta (liverworts (376)),Pinophyta (conifers (33)), andPteridophyta {cryptograms(408)).[4]
