TARGIONIA
AJINA.N
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Targionia
Targionia is a genus of liverworts in the order Marchantiales.
It is the only genus in the family Targioniaceae with in that order.
Scientific Classification
Kingdom : Plantae
Division :Bryophyta
Class : Hepaticopsida
Order : Marchantiales
Family : Targioniaceae
Genus : Targionia
Species
Targionia elongata
Targionia hypophylla
Targionia lorbeeriana
Targionia stellaris
Habitat
This genus has world wide distribution in areas with a Mediterranean climate.
That is, in regions with hot dry summers and cool wet winters.
Endemic to India and listed as one of the endangered genera of the world.
It is monophytic genera and is represented by a single species, himalayensis.
Distribution & ecology : The species is distributed throughout warm-temperate and
tropical parts of the world.
Morphology
The plants of Targionia are gametophytic.
Simple – strap shaped thallus.
Thallus 2 to 5 mm wide.
Dark or bright green.
Branching dichotomous and ventral.
Sparingly dichotomously branched with two rows of ventral scales on either sides of
midrib.
The scales may be simple or appendaged.
The air pores at dorsal surface are simple, or raised of several layers of concentric cells.
Concentric rings of 6 to 9 cells, radial walls thin or thickened.
Epidermal cells smooth, with slightly thickened walls and nodulose trigones.
Simple epidermal pores.
Epidermal pores : 80 to 170Mm diameter, with 2 to 3 concentric rings of cells, radial
walls thin.
Adventitious shoots are produced from ventral surface of midrib – vegetative propagation.
The rhizhoids are typical of the order Marchantiales.
The rhizoids are smooth walled and tuberculate.
The mid dorsal groove, polygonal area and gemma cups are absent on dorsal surface of
thallus.
The chambers are seperated by plates of cells, one cell in thickness.
The floor of the chambers bears erect photosynthetic filaments which are 3 cells in height.
The tissue below the air chambers are elongated cells parallel to the long axis of the
thallus.
Towards the extreme margin, cells remain isodiametric.
Anatomy
In anatomy, thallus shows two distinct regions:
1.Photosynthetic or assimilatory zone
2.Storage zone
1.Photosynthetic or Assimilatory zone
The upper photosynthetic zone consists of a single row of air chambers which are packed with
branched and unbranched photosynthetic filaments.
The air-chambers arise by splitting between the epidermal cells, the split extending from the
surface inwards through the entire depth of the epidermis.
This process is followed by partial closure of the crack due to turgor of the bounding cells.
The young chamber next undergoes extension owing to general growth of the thallus tissue, but
remains closed for a considerable time until the divisions occur which cut out the concentric
cell-rings around the pore, when the latter opens and continues gradually to increase in area
until the general growth of the thallus ceases.
Thus each chamber opens outside through a simple or upper half raised air pores also called
“half harrel shaped” air pore.
Air chamber with photosynthetic filaments
and air pore
2.Storage zone
The lower storage zone is similar to what we have in Riccia.
It is the lower zone
This zone represents the ventral tissue of the thallus and lies below the photosynthetic
zone
It consists of compactly arranged colourless parenchyma cells without intercellular spaces
Cells contain abundant starch grains and oil bodies
Few cells of lower epidermis elongate to produce rhizoids
Sexual Reproduction
The plants are usually monoecious (homothallic). T.hypophylla is diecious
The antheridia are produced on the dorsal surface of adventitious shoots arising from the ventral
surface of the midrib, forming spherical cushion like areas which are also called sessile male
receptacles.
Development of antheridia are accompanied by upward growth of adjacent vegetative tissues.
Antheridium lies within an antheridial chamber.
The archegonia are initially produced at the apex of thallus from growing point but subsequently
shifted downwards.
As a result of this, in a mature thallus the archegonia are found enclosed within a boat shaped,
two lobed involucre at the ventral surface near the apex
Apical growth is ceased when the archegonia are formed.
Involucre surrounds the young sporophyte later.
The bivalved involucre develops simultaneously with the archegonial group and represents
the peripheral region of the archegonial surface, but its further growth, the formation of
interlocking processes on its margin, and its closure until the extrusion of the capsule are
dependent on the occurrence of fertilisation in one or more of the archegonia.
In addition to involucre, the venter of the archegonium give rise to calyptra which is three or
four cells in thickness.
The fertilization is similar to other members of Hepaticopsida.
In the first stage the involucre consists of two crescentic ridges which together with the archegonial depression form
an ovoid cavity having its longer axis in the median line of the thallus and having the margins separated by a gap
it projects very slightly from the general surface of the thallus.
After fertilisation has taken place, the two valves or ridges undergo active growth, the cavity being greatly enlarged;
the margins come together and the walls of the cells in this region become thickened, cutinised and coloured
reddish or violet
the cells at the margins become tooth-like and form interlocking processes which cause the complete closure of
the involucre.
The suture thus formed is easily separated by pressure on the involucre, which can thus be made to gap widely
open.
so that there is no fusion of the marginal cells, merely an inter- digitation of the tooth-like processes.
Sporophyte
The sporophyte has 3 parts : (1) Foot (2) Seta (3) Capsule
The capsule has lid or operculum at the apex and some of the elaters get fixed at the apex
The fixed elaters are short, stumpy and with annular or spiral thickening bands
The free elaters are relatively larger with two or three spiral thickenings
After the removal of lid the capsule dehisces into 4-8 irregular valves
The capsule wall is one cell thick and with annular or semi annular thickening bands on
inner surface
The spores are haploid and produce after meiosis from spore mother cells
The spores germinate to form the gametophyte.
Life Cycle
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