flagella
gametes swim with the aid of their flagella to the female gametangium the archegonium , and fertilization ensues. The zygote grows into a small sporophyte still attached to the parent gametophyte. It will give rise, by meiosis, to the next generation of spores. Liverwort plants can also reproduce asexually, by the breaking of branches or the spreading of leaf fragments called gemmae. In this latter type of reproduction, the gemmaesmall, intact, complete pieces of plant that are produced in a cup on the surface of the thallus shown in Figure 25.11 are splashed out of the cup by raindrops. The gemmae then land nearby and develop into gametophytes.