Hepatica
1
9.9
A small plant that lives for several years and grows in woods with delicate early spring flowers
- noun
- /həˈpætɪkə/
- Specialized
:
Hepática
Compounds
vena hepatica
- Specialized
7.0
A vein that carries blood from the liver to the large vein returning blood to the heart
Surface Forms
Etymology
Hepatica comes from the Greek root hepar, meaning 'liver', and you can see the same root in the word hepatic which means 'related to the liver'. People named the plant because its three-lobed leaves look like a small liver, so Hepatica refers to these 'liverleaf' plants.