thalloid

1 9.9

A plant body that has no separate stem, root, or leaf

adjective
/ˈθælɔɪd/

Specialized

: talóide

Many thalloid plants do not have distinct roots or leaves.

Examples

The growth habit of liverworts can be classified as either leafy or thalloid.
Some algae possess a distinctly thalloid body, lacking true leaves or roots.
Mosses rarely display a thalloid structure, unlike some other primitive plants.
The thalloid structure of the algae is fascinating.
Some algae possess a distinctly thalloid body, lacking true leaves or roots.
Mosses rarely display a thalloid structure, unlike some other primitive plants.
The growth habit of liverworts can be classified as either leafy or thalloid.

Synonyms

thallose

vsthalloid

Specialized

9.9

A plant that has a flat body with no stems or leaves

refers to being like that plant form rather than actually having it

thallophytic

vsthalloid

Archaic

9.9

Has features of simple living things without tubes to carry water, like algae, fungi and lichens

describes the undifferentiated plant body form rather than a taxonomic group

Surface Forms

thalloid positive

Morphology

thalloid = thallus (semi-transparent) = thall + oid

The formation is a regular suffixation 'thallus' + '-oid' meaning 'resembling a thallus', so the structural relation is clear.

Etymology

Thalloid comes from the word thallus, which meant 'young shoot' or 'green branch', and the ending -oid, which means 'like' (the same ending you see in asteroid). So thalloid describes a plant body that is 'like' a simple shoot, without a separate stem, root, or leaf.