The thallose liverwort, Lunularia cruciata, with developing archegonia, in a garden in Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia. L. cruciata originated in the

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The thallose liverwort, Lunularia cruciata, with developing archegonia, in a garden in Warrandyte, Victoria, Australia. L. cruciata originated in the Mediterranean, but is now widely distributed as a garden weed in many countries including Australia, USA and the UK. It is a Bryophyte, order Marchantiales, the sole species in its genus. It commonly reproduces asexually by means of small propagules, gemmae, that are released from crescent-shaped cups on the upper leaf surface ( not seen here ). Plants may produce sexually, by the production of either antheridia (containing spermatozoids) or archegonia (containing eggs) on the leaf surface. This behaviour is very rarely observed away from its native Southern Europe. This picture shows a female plant at the early stages of archegonial development; the archegonia appear as white discs; later they become stalked, resembling an umbrella.

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Size: 3468px × 5212px
Photo credit: © DR JEREMY BURGESS/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: antheridium, archegonium, asexual, australia., biological, biology, botanical, botany, bryophyte, cruciata, cup, egg, gemma, liverwort, lunularia, reproduction, sexual, spermatozoid, victoria, warrandyte