Rebouliaceae Some botanists use the name Aytoniaceae for this family. |
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Found on damp partially shaded banks. It could be mistaken for a Marchantia, but the thallus is more ribbon-like. The tall structures are fruiting bodies called carpophores or carpocephala. |
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The white lacey structures coming from underneath the carpophores are the perianths and the black structure inside those are the capsules of the sporophytes. |
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The dark purplish patches at the tips of the thallus are the androecia - the males parts. |
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The small cross-shaped structures are immature archegoniophores containing an egg which, after fertilisation, will develop into a sporophyte containing spores.
The little white dots on the thallus and archegoniophores are pores which open into chambers, facilitating gas exchange. |
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Showing the archegoniophores at a more developed stage. The other dark spots at the tip of the thallus are the antheridiophores where the sperm are produced. |
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This image shows three archegoniophores at different stages of development. The sporophyte is the round structure which becomes black on maturity. |
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This image shows one of many thousands of spores from the sporophyte. It has a reticulated (patterned) surface. The long structure with spirals is an elater, the shape of which changes on variations in humidity and adds in the discharge and dispersal of the spores. |
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