Division: Filicocophyta
Class: Leptosporangiopsida
Family: Marsiliaceae
Genus: Marsilea
- Species:M. hirsuta, M.rajastthanensis , M.vestita (Amphibious), M.quadrifolia
- Habitat: Aquatic or semi aquatic habitats
Plant Body:
- The plant body is the sporophyte differentiated into Creeping rhizome, root and leaves.
- Creeping rhizome: Grows beneath the soil, highly branched with nodes and internodes. Roots and leaves arise from the nodes
- Leaves: rhizome forms single leaf from a node. Leaf consisits of long petiole with pinnae at the tip
- Function: photosynthesis
- Roots arising from node
Other features:
- Heterosporous nature.
- Leptosporangiate
Life cycle: Heteromorphic alternation
of generation.
Gametophyte or Prothallus:
•Microspore produces
male gametophyte & megaspore produces female gametophyte.
•Microspore are
globular with cellulosic exine and intine
•Male gametophyte
develops within the microspore wall and produces many spirally coiled
multi-flagellated antherozoids which swims towards
megaspore
•Megaspores are large
in size with exine and intine
•Megaspores germinates
within megasporangium forming female gemetophyte bearing archegonia
and a basal enlarged prothallial cell.
•Water is essential
for fertilization
•The young sporophyte remains attached to
the megaspore for some time later falls to the ground and form roots and become
independent
