Bryophytes lab practical

Anthocerotophyta

Hornworts

Marchantiophyta

Liverworts

Bryophyta

Mosses

Hornwort features

• monoplastidic

• base of sporophyte covered by involucre

• sporophyte splits longitudinally

• clusters of pale orange antheridia in chambers

  • colonies of nostoc enter through pores

with charcoal gray spores and pyrenoids

Anthoceros

with yellow-brown spores and no pyrenoids

Phaeoceros

steps for keying a hornwort

• view thallus under dissecting scope

• view a whole mount of a thallus section

• view a squish mount of spores

Lunularia

large with ventral scales, peppery small, and hyaline cells in pores

Conocephalum

gemmae cups

Marchantia

purple rhizoids, distinct leaves and stalk, pseudoperianth, lamellae around spore circumference

Fossombronia

2 celled slime filament, pseudoperianth, antheridia visible as dorsal bumps

Pellia

narrow branches, tips unistratose, brownish oil bodies

Riccardia

steps for keying a thalloid liverwort

• view under dissecting scope

• prepare a whole mount

• prepare a cross section

• prepare a squish mount of sporophyte

robust pinnately branched shoots

Porella

dark red to green

Frullania

lacking underleaves, 2 keeled perianth

Radula

diagnostic reddish brown color, frilly filamentous leaf/underleaf margins

Ptilidium

Lepidozia

leaves bilobed, underleaves bilobed with a tooth at each lobe

Lophocolea

appears as an alga

Blepharostoma

lacking underleaves and oil bodies, hyalodermis (transparent epidermal cells)

Cephalozia

underleaves ephemeral

Plagiochila

no underleaves, reddish stem and base of leaves

Scapania

relatively large underleaves, mersupia, terminal gemmae clusters

Calypogeia

steps for keying a leafy liverwort

• view under dissecting scope

• prepare a whole mount of dorsal and ventral views

• prepare a whole mount of individual leaves

Diplolepideous-opposite peristome

Diplolepideous-alternate peristome

Haplolepideous

Bryaceous peristome

Nemadontous peristome

made of whole cells

anthrodontous peristome

made of cell fragments

curled margins, lamellae

Polytrichum

4 long lamellae

Atrichum

branches downturned, triangular chlorophyllose cells

Sphagnum

no peristome teeth, 4 lines of dehiscense in columella

Andreaea

4 peristome teeth, leafy cups with gemmae

Tetraphis

No leaves, just capsule

Buxbaumia

small leaves only at base, capsule hangs down

Funaria

leaves lanceolate at tip, ovate at base, weakly toothed

Pohlia

papilose, leaves linear

Dicranum

Leaf tips breaking off

Orthodicranum

Awns reflexed, costa very broad

Campylopus

Didymodon

awn toothed

Syntrichia

awn smooth

Tortula

contorted when dry

Dichodontium

aquatic

Fontinalis

Splachnum

Orthotrichum

leaves ensheathe each other

Fissidens

Amphidium

Ptychromitrium

Leucolepis

Plagiomnium

rhizomnium

leaves transversely wavy, costa short and double

Buckiella

complanate, looks like a leafy liverwort

Hookeria

pinnately branched

Kindbergia

Pseudisothecium

Antrichia

reddish brown stem, leaves yellowish

Calligeronella

Hypnum

Dendroalsia

recurved teeth at leaf apex

Neckera