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tasmanian liverworts - marchantiaceae

marchantiaceae

1. thallus	2. antheridiophore (m)	3. archegoniophore (f)	4. details (f)
5. gemmae cups	4. details (f)	4. details (f)	4. details (f)

 

This is probably the best known of liverworts since it is a common weed found growing in pot plants, and has wide distribution in the wild.

Multiplication is through vegetative as well as by sexual process. The clonal process is depicted in pix 5 where the small disks in the 'gemmae cups' are capable of replicating the plant.

The sexual process is somewhat puzzling.

We have a problem in that pix 2 was taken in late September while pix 3 was shot in early February

¹Berg, L.R., Botany, Saunders College Publishing, 1997; ISBN 0-03-075453-4

References:
Olympus has provided a sectioned micrograph of marchantia Archegoniophore

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