Bryophyte of the week

Dumortiera hirsuta (Sw.) Nees

PHYLUM: MARCHANTIOPHYTA Stotler & Crand.-Stotl.

CLASS: MARCHANTIOPSIDA Cronquist, Takht. & W.Zimm.

SUB CLASS: MARCHANTIIDAE Engl. [

ORDER: MARCHANTIALES Limpr

FAMILY: Dumortieraceae D.G.Long

GENUS: Dumortiera Nees

Thallus weakly differentiated into layers, with vestigial air chambers and air pores absent or few near the thallus apex, simple when present; ventral scales in 2 rows, without appendages; rhizoids dimorphic, sometimes modified as bristles; idioblastic oil cells few; perigonial chambers on stalked receptacles, with the receptacles lacking air pores and the stalk with 2 rhizoid furrows; sporophytes on stalked receptacles, with the receptacles bearing a few open air chambers and the stalk with 2 rhizoid furrows; involucres tubular, bristly, opening by a slit; pseudoperianths absent; seta remaining short; capsule dehiscence by irregular valves; specialised asexual structures absent.

          Female receptacles                                                                                   Male receptacles

Bryophyte of the week

Pyrrhobryum spiniforme (Hedw.) Mitt.

CLASS:BRYOPSIDA Rothm.
SUB CLASS : BRYIDAE Engl.SUPER ORDER : Bryanae (Engl.) Goffinet & W. R. Buck: 
ORDER:    RHIZOGONIALES Goffinet & W. R. Buck
FAMILY:  Rhizogoniaceae Broth.
GENUS:    Pyrrhobryum Mitt

Plants often appearing feathery, in loose tufts, dark green and glossy, occasionally yellowish green or brown with age. 
Stems erect, sometimes curved or curled, to 6 cm or more, solitary or occasionally branched, often grooved below; densely tomentose at base (to ca. 5 mm from base), rhizoids dark rusty-red, papillose.
 Leaves distant on stem, crispate and curled when dry, erect-spreading to wide-spreading when wet, linear to linear-subulate, (5--)6--8 ´ 0.40--0.75 mm, somewhat concave or folded, apex often terminating in a double tooth, base undifferentiated or occasionally indistinctly decurrent; margins plane, slightly recurved at base, in transverse section 2-stratose, 1-stratose at base; laminal cells uniformly subquadrate to short-rectangular, (7--)10--14 µm; marginal basal cells quadrate to rectangular, 14--30 ´ 10 µm.
 Seta pale yellowish orange or straw-colored, 4--6 cm. 
Capsule ellipsoid-cylindric, (1.5--)2--3 mm, neck short; exothecial cells hexagonal, thick-walled; stomata several at urn base and neck; operculum 1.5--2 mm, oblique; exostome teeth reddish orange basally, pale yellow or hyaline distally, endostome segments pale yellow or hyaline, lightly papillose. 
Calyptra ca. 3.5 mm. Spores 16--18 µm.

A Liverwort Family

Frullaniaceae Lorch in G.Lindau, Krypt.-Fl. Anf. 6: 174 (1914).


(Image source: http://bryophytes.plant.siu.edu/imFrullaniaSp.html )

ORDER:         PORELLALES Schljakov, Bot. Zhurn. (Moscow & Leningrad) 57: 505 (1972).
SUBORDER: JUBULINEAE Mu¨ ll.Frib., Lebermoose 1: 403 (1909).
FAMILY:       Frullaniaceae Lorch in G.Lindau, Krypt.-Fl. Anf. 6: 174 (1914).



(http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/bbs/meetings/mtgs06/Scotland/mtgs063.htm

Leaves 3-lobed, with the dorsal lobe usually entire, the median lobule forming a Frullania-type water sac, and the ventral-most segment forming a uniseriate or laminar stylus; underleaves bifid; vegetative branches mostly of the Frullania-type (Bryopteris-type on decapitated shoots); androecia on elongate to capitate Frullania-type branches, occasionally becoming intercalary; gynoecia on leading axes, with multiple archegonia; bracts and bracteoles in 3 or 4 series, without subfloral innovations; seta up to 12 cells in diameter, nonarticulate; gemmae absent. Frullania Raddi [includes Amphijubula R.M.Schust., Neohattoria Kamim., Schusterella S.Hatt., Sharp & Mizut., and Steerea S.Hatt. & Kamim.]


(http://ifilipefranco.wordpress.com/2007/06/13/concurso-de-ilustracao-cientifica-scientific-illustration-competition/)

There are many species of Frullania present in Sri Lanka. According to A checklist of the Liverworts of Sri Lanka by B.A. Abeywickrama & M.A.B. Jansen, there are 16 species of Frullania present in Sri Lanka. 

References:
1.Stotler B.C et al. 2009, PHYLOGENY AND CLASSIFICATION OF THE MARCHANTIOPHYTA, EDINBURGH JOURNAL OF BOTANY 66 (1): 155–198.
2. Abeywickrama B.A & Jansen M.A.B., 1978,  A checklist of the Liverworts of Sri Lanka. UNESCO - Man and the Biosphere National Committee of Sri Lanka: Publication No: 1

Bryophyte of the week

Orthorrhynchium elegans ssp. nietneri (Müll.Hal.) S.H.Lin

(Image source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenbuchan/6991156165/ )

• Order  -         Hypnales (M. Fleisch.) W. R. Buck & Vitt
• Family  -       Orthorrhynchiaceae S. H. Lin
• Genus   -      Orthorrhynchium Reichardt
• Species -    Orthorrhynchium elegans 

 (http://www.eeb.uconn.edu/people/goffinet/Classificationmosses.html#Acrocladium)

Dioicous pleurocarpous mosses. Plants yellowish green to pale green, silky, forming smooth mats. Stems 3–10 cm long, distichous.
 Leaves oblong-ovate to lingulate, 0.6–1.7 mm long, 0.4–1.3 mm wide, symmetrically conduplicate, smooth, narrowed towards the insertion; apex rounded to truncate, cucullate. Mid-laminal cells linear, 40–100 × 4–6 μm, slightly vermicular, ±thick-walled, not or scarcely and faintly pitted; apical cells in 3–8 rows along the median line, quadrate to rectangular; alar cells not differentiated.
 Capsules short-exserted, erect.Peristome diplolepideous, lacking an endostome, but with a well-developed properistome.

Occurs in India, Sri Lanka, New Guinea, eastern Australia, Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island and New Zealand (including the Auckland Islands).

Welcome to Bryologia Zeylanica!!!!

Bryophytes are the second largest group of plants in the Plant Kingdom next to Flowering Plants. Sri Lanka too, is blessed with a rich diversity of bryophytes. Despite being essential components of our natural ecosystems, they have received only little attention. 

The main goals of our group are to explore and document these tiny beauties for us and taking conservation measures to preserve for future……….