3. FAMILY
LUNULARIACEAE
General Characteristics
❖ Presence of crescent shaped gemma
cups on dorsal surface of thallus.
❖ Gemmae are Discoid
❖ Air chambers are in single layer
with simple or branched
Photosynthetic filaments.
❖ Air pores on the thallus are simple/
half barrel-shaped.
4. ❖ Antheridial receptacles
ar
e disciform, sessile and
lack pores.
❖ Archegonial receptacles
are stalked with a deeply
four lobed disc .
5. LUNULARIA
HABIT AND DISTRIBUTION
❖ Prefer moist, shady and cold places of rocky soils.
❖ genus is represented by a single sps.
Lunularia crusiata
o In India, it is found in Drajeeling , Simla, Kodaikanal and
Madras
6. MORPHOLO
GY
❖ Plant body – Gametophyte & thalloid
❖ Thallus – Prostrate, dorsiventrally
flat, irregularly dichotomously
branched and forms apical
innovations .
❖ margin of thallus – undulate (having a
wavy edge) and apex is notched.
❖ Dorsal surface is provided with
simple air pores and semilunar
gemmae-cups.
7. ❖ Ventral surface – smooth
walled and tuberculate
rhizoids
❖ Ventral rotundate
appendiculate scales are
present in two longitudinal
rows.
8. INTERNAL
STRUCTURE
❖ In T.S., the thallus shows the
following layers:
(a)Upper epidermal layer with pores.
Pores are raised and bounded by 3
rings of 6 – 8 cells each.
(b) Dorsal cortical chambers containing
short, branched filamentous
chlorophyllose cells.
(c)Parenchymatous cortical zone.
(d) Ventral epidermal layer with scales in
one row on each side of midrib. Scales
are thin delicate and attached by a long
semilunar base.
(e)Rhizoids unicellular and smooth-
walled and tuberculate.
9. REPRODUCTION
VEGETATIVE REPRODUCTION
1.FRAGMENTATION
❖ The older portion of the thallus starts disintegrating due to
ageing or drought.
❖ When this process of disintegration or decay reaches up
to the place of dichotomy, the lobes of the thallus get
separated.
❖ These detached lobes or fragments develop into
independent plants by apical growth. This is the most
common method of vegetative reproduction.
10. 2.GEMMAE FORMATION
❖ Discoid green gemmae are
produced inside crescent
shaped gemma cups, whose
margins are entire
❖ Detached gemmae will come
out from the gemma cup
and are dispersed on soil, by
wind or by water.
❖ Each gemmae soon
germinates and forms a
new gametophytic thallus
11. SEXUAL
REPRODUCTION
❖ DIOECIOUS / HETROTHALLIC PLANT
BODY
ANTHERIDIA
❖ Antheridia are produced on
disciform, sessile antheridial
receptacle.
❖ Antheridial receptacle – present at
apices of short branch of main thallus
❖ Each anthridium is found enclosed with
in a chamber – Antheridial chamber
❖ Antheridial chamber opens out side
12. ARCHEGO
NIA
❖ Produced on a stalked female
receptacle with deeply four lobed
disc– Archegoniophore
❖ Stalk has short hairs
• without rhizoidal furrow
and photosynthetic
tissue.
❖ Each disc has a row of archegonia
which are acropetally arranged.
13. ❖ Archegonia are covered and
protected by tubular involucre –
have wide mouth which helps in
fertilization.
❖ disc has no pores and
photosynthetic tissues –
characteristic feature or this family
14. SPOROPH
YTE
❖ Has small foot, seta and globose capsule.
❖ Found attached to the arms of the disc of archegoniophore
❖ Pseudoperianth / Perigynium – absent
❖ Apical portion of capsule has - Operculum or Lid – which
dehisces to release spores
❖ Cells of capsule wall – lack any type of thickenings
❖ Spores and Free Elaters are found with capsule
15. SPORE
❖ Yellowish green / Yellowish brown, 14-20µm diameter
❖ exine – smooth surface
❖ spores when come in contact with rocky soil , under
favouranle conditions, germinate and forms new
gametophytic plant body.
16. IDENTIFICATION
FEATURES
❖ Thallus dorsiventrally flattened and prostrate, sporophyte simple and
with limited growth, columella absentCLASS: HEPATICOPSIDA
❖ Plant body prostrate, sex organs on dorsal surface, sporophyte
devoid of columella or elaterophores ORDER:
MARCHANTIALES
❖ Antheridia and archegonia localised as specialised clusters,
sporophyte diffe
rentiated into foot, seta and
capsule
FAMILY:
MARCHANTIACEAE/
LUNULARIACEAE
❖ Plants with air chambers and pores on the dorsal surface, capsule in
involucre, plant with gemmae cups on its dorsal surface. Gemmae cups
semi-lunate in shape GENUS: LUNULARIA
