3. GENERAL FEATURES OF CYATHODIUM
HABITAT:
► Occurs in moist areas of both forest and non-forest
areas of the study area; on soil, wet rocks, walls
and termite mount in the moist deciduous,
semi-evergreen and evergreen forest and as well
as in the pots and walls in the non-forested areas
and homesteads.
4. DISTRIBUTION:
► A widely distributed species usually growing in low
altitude areas, in places of human habitation or in
shady places of disturbed areas. It has earlier been
reported from Peninsular India (Kerala, Gujarat),
Central India (Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Rajasthan), North-east India (Uttaranchal, Uttar
Pradesh, West Bengal, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim,
Assam, Meghalaya), Myanmar, Cuba, Africa, Java,
Mexico and America.
5. MORPHOLOGY:
► Plant body is usually thin delicate with
dichotomously branched thallus.
► Thallus: Yellowish to green or light green to
fluorescent green.
► It is flat with dorsal and ventral surface.
► Dorsal surface :Have polygonal areas each
with an air pore.
► Ventral surface:Scales are reduced or
usually absent.
6. ► Reduced ventral scales are few celled, chlorophyllous,
filamentous, uniseriate or biseriate.
► Rhizoids are present. It can be smooth walled or
tuberculate.
7. ANATOMY
► Reduced thallus.
► Consist of photosynthetic zone showing one row
of large and empty air chambers.
► Pores are simple or half barrel shaped.
► Storage zone is absent or reduced in many
species(except Cyathodium denticulatum)
8. REPRODUCTION
► Reproduction can be through:
.Vegetative reproduction
.Sexual reproduction
► Vegetative reproduction:- Some species like
Cyathodium tuberosum develop tubers at apex of
thallus which help in vegetative propagation.
9. ► Sexual reproduction:-
► Usually monoecious (or dioecious) .
► Antheridia are produced on antheridiophore.
(Male receptacle). Antheridia is in cushion
shaped antheridial receptacle
lateral-terminal, between two lobes or
between female involucres; disc-shaped.
► Antheridiophore is either sessile or stalked
with 2 or several lobed disc.
► Stalk has a shallow rhizoidal furrow.
► Antheridia are formed in acropetal succession.
10. ► Archegonia are found on ventral surface near
growing point at the apex of thallus.
► They are enclosed within a single oval or tumbler
shaped bi lipped involucre( can be smooth or
hairy. )
► Antherozoids and egg fuse to form the next
sporophytic generation.
11. Sporophyte:
► Consist of small foot, a seta and a spherical capsule.
► There is a prominent operculum or lid at apex which is
bistratose.
► Upper half of capsule is with thickening band while
lower half is without thickening bands.
► Dehiscence of capsule is by throwing of lid and
rupturing of capsule wall into 4-8valves.
► Number of elaters in each capsule is less than number
of spores.
► Spores are haploid and formed from spore mother cells
after meiosis. Spores germinate to form thallus in
presence of water.
12. LIFE CYCLE:
► There is a regular alternation of generation between
morphologically distinct gametophyte and sporophyte.
