Moss-like invader

Q: What is this moss-like substance? It is threatening to take over my whole back garden.


A: The scientific name of this plant is Marchantia polymorpha, but most people know it as common liverwort. This is not to be confused with the far more decorative hepatica family, an anemone-relative whose late winter flowers are like little jewels!
Common liverwort grows clusters of low-lying lobes or plates – they resemble small, green livers – and can develop into a dense layer. When they mature and particularly when the plants are under stress, fruiting bodies develop. These resemble minuscule palm trees.
The plant is often found in damp, shady gardens, but is not necessarily damaging except where it develops a dense layer over soil or other surfaces. It is usually relatively easy to rake or scrape the material off the surface or to break it up with a hoe or a garden fork.