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Course Title: Diversity of Vascular plants
Course Code: BOTN 3113
Dr. Aasma Tufail
Assistant Professor, Department of Botany,
Division of Science & Technology, University of
Education, Lahore
Lecture # 11
Pteropsida
Ophioglossum
Pteropsida
Ophioglossum
adder's-tongue ferns,
Dryopteris
wood fern, male fern, or buckler fern
Azolla/Marsilea
Aquatic fern or water clover
Ophioglossum,
the adder's-tongue ferns,
Classification
• Pteropsida
Class
Sub-
Class
• Ophioglossales
Order
• Ophioglossaceae
Family
Eusporangiatae
Habit and habitat
The name Ophioglossum comes from the Greek word and means
"snake-tongue"
It has almost 25-45 species in world wide distribution
Their cosmopolitan distribution is mainly in tropical and
subtropical habitats like between Africa and south America, Northern
hemisphere in Europe, temperate Asia e.g. O. vulgatum. In Austraila,
Spain Purtagal e.g. Ophioglossum lusitanicum
It is terrestrial and grow in soil rich in humus
About dozen species recorded from India.
The plant grows from a central, budding, fleshy structure with fleshy,
radiating roots.
Important species of Ophioglossum
Ophioglossum reticulatum Ophioglossum vulgatum
Sporophyte or plant body
•The sporophyte is
differentiated into a sub­
terranean rhizome with
roots
•and spirally arranged
leaves bearing
sporangiferous spike
Sporophyte description
• Terrestrial or epiphytic herb, ever green but commonly arising from
rhizome.
• Rhizome vertical or shortly horizontal
• Roots are fleshy but without root hairs but some time proliferious
• Leaves commonly single, some time up to six
• Sterile lamina (trophophore) born on a stipe, simple, entire, glabrous,
lacking a midrib, 1.2-250 mm long.
• Fertile spike arising at or just below the base of the lamina or born
centrally on lamina, comprising two rows or up to 90 pairs of sporangia
fused laterally on a fertile spike Born on a stalk
Reproduction
life cycle of Ophioglossum
• Vegetative
(by means of adventitious buds formed on roots e.g. in O. pen­
dulum, O. vulgatum, O. reticulatum, O. nudicaule and O.
aitchisonii )
• Asexual by means of spores (Sporophytic generation)
Spores are of same size and shape i.e., Ophioglossum is
homosporous pteri­
dophyte.
• Sexual by means of antheridia and archegonia (Gametophytic
generation)
Spore-Producing Organ:
•The spores are present in sporangia.
•The sporangia are produced in two rows on a
fertile segment that arises at the junction of the
petiole and the sterile lamina
Structure of sporangium
• Each mature sporangium is spherical or
oval in shape and remains embedded in the
tissue of the fertile spike. Oval in shape.
• The size ranges between 0.5 to 3 mm in
diameter.
• It remains surrounded by multi- layered
wall of which the innermost wall layer
functions as tapetum
• The sporangial cavity is filled with many
spore mother cells.
• Number of spores ranges 1500 to 15,000
spore mother cells
Dehiscence of the Sporangium:
• Sporophore with dehisced
sporangia
Sorus
Eusporangia
- Thick walls
- not stalked
- many spores
- initiated by many cells
Gametophyte generation
Antheridia development
Archegonia
Development of embryo
Chromosome Number of Ophioglossum:
•The chromosome number of Ophioglossum is
generally high, although there is no uniformity in the
basic number.
•O. pusitanicum has n = 125-130, while in O. vulgatum
n = 250-260. The highest chromosome number has
been recorded in O. reticulatum where n = 631 +10
fragments.
Systematic Position of Ophioglossum:
In modern classifications, Ophioglossum has been placed under the
order Ophioglossales,
a small group of eusporangiate ferns consisting of three living genera
(Ophioglossum, Botrychium and Helminthostachys).
They do not have any early fossil record.
The plant is unique in having sporangia borne on a fertile spike that
projects from the leaf near the junction of the lamina and the petiole.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4V4bdzGS7ys
comparison