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tasmanian liverworts - pallaviciniaceae
pallavicinia lyellii
1. margin tooth
We discovered a fragment tangled with a moss (Pyrrhobryum mnioides) we had kept moist for several weeks. Apparently it had made new growth which was considerably narrower than the older fragment which was around 2.5 mm wide.
2. thallus |
3. ventral branching |
4. margin cells |
5. mid-rib cells |
Description: The thallus had a thickened mid-vein but the 'wings' (pix 4) are unistratose. It is symmetrical and flat on both dorsal and ventral sides as far as could be determined. The teeth (pix 1) are tiny, comprising of 1x2 cells, pointing forward and curving in. There were small numbers of white rhizoids at the base of branches. Cells are elongated along the wings (pix 4) but much more so along the mid-rib (pix 5).
We tried using the Lucid Key cited below which yielded three results for thallose liverworts with ventral branching (pix 3). By elimination we arrived at Pallavicinia which is reported to have three species in Tasmania.
It is not P. rubristipa which is dendroid and has a
concave thallus. Here it gets a little confusing because M&F
(2003)1 consider records of Australian P. lyellii to
be P. pseudolyellii with 'very undulating margins' and no
teeth so we discarded this as well. The third species,
P. xiphoides, is reported to have teeth 'several cells
long' and this does not match our sample.
Subsequently we
worked through Meagher's key for Victorian thallose liverworts
(2006)2 and discovered that P. lyellii does have teeth
comprising of one or two cells, matching our specimen.
References
- 1Meagher, D., & Fuhrer,
B., A
Field Guide to the Mosses and Allied Plants of Southern
Australia, (ISBN 0 642 56828 6), Flora of Australia
Supplementary Series, Number 20 - Australian Biological Resources
Study/The Field Naturalists Club of Victoria, 2003 (M&F)
- 2Meagher, D. 'Studies on Victorian Bryophytes 6. Key to thallose
liverworts and hornworts', appearing in Victorian
Naturalist Vol. 123(4) August 2006 p. 250
- Key
to Australasian Liverwort and Hornwort Genera (ISBN 0 642
56840 5) by Australian Biological Resources Study on CDRom is a
comprehensive interactive key to 181 genera of liverworts and
hornworts. (Lucid Key)
Page URL: http://www.bluetier.org/Liverwort/pallavicinia-lyellii.htm