Hepatica

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Hepatica \He*pat"i*ca\, n.; pl. {Hepatic[ae]}. [NL. See
     {Hepatic}. So called in allusion to the shape of the lobed
     leaves or fronds.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. (Bot.) A genus of pretty spring flowers closely related to
        Anemone; squirrel cup.


        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. (bot.) Any plant, usually procumbent and mosslike, of the
        cryptogamous class Hepatic[ae]; -- called also {scale
        moss} and {liverwort}. See {Hepatic[ae]}, in the
        Supplement.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  hepatica
       n 1: any of several plants of the genus Hepatica having 3-lobed
            leaves and white or pinkish flowers in early spring; of
            moist and mossy subalpine woodland areas of north
            temperate regions [syn: {liverleaf}]
       2: a common liverwort [syn: {Marchantia polymorpha}]