Lejeuneaceae is the largest family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of liverwort

Marchantiophyta

The Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....

s. It is also considered as the most evolved one, since most of its members are epiphyte

Epiphyte

An epiphyte is a plant that grows upon another plant non-parasitically or sometimes upon some other object , derives its moisture and nutrients from the air and rain and sometimes from debris accumulating around it, and is found in the temperate zone and in the...

s, which means the grow mainly upon tree trunks.

Most of the species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

 of this family are tropical, yet they can also be found in temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...

 regions.

The main characteristics of the family:

1. The leaves are incubous
   Incubous
   The term incubous is used to describe the way in which the leaves of a plant are attached to the stem. If you were to look down from above on a plant where the leaf attachment is incubous, the upper edge of each leaf would overlap the next higher leaf along the stem...
   
   .
2. Amphigastrium is usually present,sometimes reduced.
3. Leaves are divided into lobe and lobule.
4. Archaegonium in a perianth.

Some large genera of the family are: Lejeunea, Ceratolejeunea and Cheilolejeunea.

Taxonomy

The Lejeuneaceae are the largest family of liverworts

Marchantiophyta

The Marchantiophyta are a division of bryophyte plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like other bryophytes, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of genetic information....

 with more than 1600 species, which equates to roughly 20 to 25% of all liverworts. These species are assigned to 94 genera.

List of genera

Acanthocoleus Acantholejeunea Acrolejeunea Amphilejeunea Anoplolejeunea Aphanolejeunea Aphanotropis Archilejeunea Aureolejeunea Austrolejeunea Blepharolejeunea Brachiolejeunea Bromeliophila Bryopteris Bryopteris Bryopteris is a genus of liverwort in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Bryopteris gaudichaudii, Gottsche... Calatholejeunea Capillolejeunea Caudalejeunea Caudalejeunea Caudalejeunea is a genus of liverwort in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Caudalejeunea grolleana, Gradst.... Cephalantholejeunea Cephalolejeunea Ceratolejeunea Cheilolejeunea Cladolejeunea Cololejeunea Colura Colura Colura is a genus of epiphytic liverworts and consists of approximately 60 species that are distributed mostly in the tropics. Species in this genus are no larger than a couple millimetres in size and may possess small water sac organs formed from fused leaf margins that trap small ciliates. It is... Crossotolejeunea

Cyclolejeunea Cyrtolejeunea Cystolejeunea Dactylolejeunea Dactylophorella Dendrolejeunea Dicladolejeunea Dicranolejeunea Diplasiolejeunea Drepanolejeunea Echinocolea Echinolejeunea Evansiolejeunea Frullanoides Fulfordianthus Fulfordianthus Fulfordianthus is a genus of liverwort in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Fulfordianthus evansii, Gradst.... Haplolejeunea Harpalejeunea Hattoriolejeunea Kymatolejeunea Leiolejeunea Lejeunea Lepidolejeunea Leptolejeunea Leptolejeunea Leptolejeunea is a genus of liverwort in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Leptolejeunea tridentata, Bischl.... Leucolejeunea Lindigianthus

Lopholejeunea Luteolejeunea Luteolejeunea Luteolejeunea is a genus of liverwort in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Luteolejeunea herzogii, Piippo... Macrocolura Macrolejeunea Marchesinia Mastigolejeunea Metalejeunea Metzgeriopsis Microlejeunea Myriocolea Myriocolea Myriocolea is a genus of liverwort in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Myriocolea irrorata, Spruce... Myriocoleopsis Myriocoleopsis Myriocoleopsis is a genus of liverwort in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Myriocoleopsis fluviatilis, Reiner & Gradst.... Nephelolejeunea Neurolejeunea Nipponolejeunea Odontolejeunea Omphalanthus Oryzolejeunea Otolejeunea Phaeolejeunea Physantholejeunea Pictolejeunea Pluvianthus Potamolejeunea Prionolejeunea Ptychanthus

Pycnolejeunea Rectolejeunea Rhaphidolejeunea Schiffneriolejeunea Schusterolejeunea Siphonolejeunea Sphaerolejeunea Sphaerolejeunea Sphaerolejeunea is a genus of liverwort in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Sphaerolejeunea umbilicata, Herzog... Spruceanthus Spruceanthus Spruceanthus is a genus of liverwort in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Spruceanthus polymorphus* Spruceanthus semirepandus* Spruceanthus theobromae, Gradst.... Stenolejeunea Stictolejeunea Symbiezidium Symbiezidium Symbiezidium is a genus of plant in family Lejeuneaceae. It contains the following species :* Symbiezidium madagascariensis, Steph.... Taxilejeunea Thysananthus Trachylejeunea Trocholejeunea Tuyamaella Tuzibeanthus Verdoornianthus Vitalianthus