Gemmae, cups and vegetative propagation

Sex, the sporophyte and spores

Marchantia plants are either male or female (dioecious) and when mature, plants will produce distinctive upright reproductive branches called gametangiophores: Male plants grow antheridiophores - stalk-borne discs bearing antheridia (sperm-producing organs) on their upper surface. Female plants grow archegoniophores - umbrella-shaped stalks with finger-like spokes where archegonia (egg-producing organs) are found on each underside.

3. Fertilization
Antheridia release biflagellate sperm, which need a film of water to swim. Rain splash is the main dispersal mechanism — droplets bounce sperm from the antheridiophore onto a nearby archegoniophore, where a sperm fertilizes the egg inside an archegonium.

4. The sporophyte (diploid, dependent phase)
The resulting zygote develops in place, hanging beneath the archegoniophore, into a small sporophyte with three parts: a foot (absorbs nutrients from the gametophyte), a short seta, and a capsule. The sporophyte never becomes independent — it relies entirely on the gametophyte for water and nutrients.

5. Meiosis and spore release
Inside the capsule, spore mother cells undergo meiosis to produce haploid spores. Interspersed among the spores are elaters — elongated, spirally-thickened cells that twist and untwist with changes in humidity, helping fling the spores out when the capsule splits open.