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| The liverwort genera (Bryophyta: Hepaticae and Anthocerotae) of Britain and Ireland |
Gametophyte. Plants thalloid, not leafy (thallus grey- to yellowish-green). Anacrogynous (borne on dwarf branches on the ventral side of the midrib). Rhizoids of one kind, all smooth.
The cells of the gametophyte with numerous small chloroplasts. The chloroplast-containing cells without oil bodies (unless they are very inconspicuous?). The thallus irregularly pinnately branching; very hairy both dorsally and ventrally; with a conspicuous median conducting strand. Gemmae absent.
The plants dioecious.
The archegonia and sporophytes without a pseudoperianth.
Sporophyte. The sporophyte elevated by elongation of the seta, with no intercalary meristem. The capsule probably dehiscing by four valves (? - cf. Metzgeria). Elaters present; unispirally thickened; persistent on elaterophores. The elaterophores basal.
British representation. 1 species (A. pubescens); England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland.
Classification. Class/Division Hepaticae. Subclass/Class Jungermanniidae. Order Metzgeriales. Family Metzgeriaceae.
Illustrations. • A. pubescens (as Metzgeria): Jameson, in Macvicar (1926). • A. pubescens (as Metzgeria): Pearson fig. CCV (1902). • A. pubescens (as Metzgeria): Pearson fig. CCV legend.
We advise against extracting comparative information from the descriptions. This is much more easily achieved using the DELTA data files or the interactive key, which allows access to the character list, illustrations, full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa. See also Guidelines for using data taken from Web publications.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2005 onwards. The liverwort genera (Bryophyta: Hepaticae and Anthocerotae) of Britain and Ireland. Version: 5th August 2019. delta-intkey.com’.
