Present by – sheikh ayan
CLASS – PSILOPSIDA
The member of this group is simple in organization . this class is
characterised by following feature –
The main plant body is sporophyte which consist of
dichotomously branched rhizome and aerial axis .
The true roots are absent but numerous rhizoid develop from
rhizome.
The aerial branches is either leafless or with small , simple leaf like
appendages .
Vascular cylinder is protostelic .
The sporangia are borne either on apex of aerial branches or axis
or in the axil of appendages .
Classification –
Psilopsida has been divided into 2 orders
1 . psilophytales – the members of this group is found in the form of
fossils , eg. Rhynia , horneophyton , asteroxylon
2. psilotales – the order comprises two genera [Link] ,2.
Tmesipteris .
Order – psilotales
Special characters of class psilotales – the characteristics of order
psilotales are as class psilotopsida .
Psilotum
Occurrence – psilotum is a small shrub which is commonly known as
whisk fern
Psilotum is represented by only two sp. – p. nudum , p. flaccidum
p. nudum is commonly found in tropical and sub tropical regions .
in india it is found in panchmarhi hills , kulu , Shimla , assam and
Darjeeling hills .
p. flaccidum is an epiphyte and is found In tropical island ; Jamaica
, mexico , Malaya , peninusula .
sporophyte –
1) external morphology
in the upper region the sporophytic plant body consist of a
subterranean rhizome and dichotomously branched aerial shoots .
rhizome is dichotomously branched and prostrate . its surface is
covered with long brown rhizoids. Which function as organ of
attachment and absorption . rhizome is associated with
intercellular mycorrhiza .
some branches of the rhizome turn upwards and develop into
aerial shoots which are usually erect .
aerial shoot is green and dichotomously branched .
on aerial branches , except the base are present small leaf like
appendages which are without any vascular trace and stomata .
the aerial green shoots serve as photosynthetic organ because
leave have no power to do photosynthesis due to their minute
and scaly nature .
in the axil of shoots the leaf is replaced by fertile appendages .
2) Internal structure –
Rhizome –
The outermost layer is epidermis , which is composed of thin
walled cells. It is followed by cortex .
The cortex is divide into three zones . the outer cortex is
composed of parenchymatous cells containing the hyphae of the
mycorrhizal fungus .
The middle cortex consists of parenchymatous cell with abundant
starch grains .
The inner cortex brown in colour due to presence of tannins .
Inner to the cortex , there is a distinct endodermis with
conspicuous casparian strips in the radial wall .
Below the endodermis , is present single layer pericycle composed
of parenchymatous cells.
The stelel is simple type of protostele i.g. haplostele in which
central solid core of xylem is surrounded by phloem .
Fig. psilotum –t.s. of rhizome
Aerial branch –
The aerial branch is irregular in outline . it is bounded by a single
layered epidermis with heavily cutinized outer wall .
The epidermis is followed by a well developed cortex ,
differentiated into three zones – 1) outer wall is made up 2-5
layered loosely arranged chlorenchymatous cells . 2) middle
cortex consisting of 4-5 layers sclerenchymatous cells . 3) inner
cortex is consist of compactly arranged thin walled
parenchymatous cell .the cell contain starch grains.
After cortex the endodermal layer is present , having casparian
stripe on there radial walls .
In the aerial branch there occurs a pith in the center i.g. it is
characterised by the presence of siphonostele .
Reproduction –
The sporophytic plant of psilotum reproduce vegetatively and asexually
by means of spores .
1 vegetative reproduction – in p. nudum vegetative reproduction takes
place by gemmae . which is arise on the rhizome of sporophytic plant
body as well as on the prothallus of gametophytic plant body .
2 reproduction by spore – when the plant become mature , many of its
aerial branches becomes fertile and produce tri lobed sporangia in the
axils of the bilobed leaf like appendages .the sporangia develop in
groups ( mostly 3) . a group of fused sporangia with distinct partition
walls is called synangium . each sporangium has a numerous haploid
spores . all spores are of same size colourless and bean shaped . the
dehiscence of synangium is initiated from the center and the entire
synangium is turn open at the center .
Gametophyte –
Haploid spore is the first cell of the gametophytic generation . on
germination it produce a gametophytic prothallus .
The prothallus of psilotum is small cylindrical and dichotomously
branched .
The surface of the gametophyte is covered with unicellular
rhizoids , antheridia ,and archegonia .
Most of the parenchymatous cells of it have endophytic
mycorrhiza , which provide nutrition to the gametophyte .
Sex organ – psilotum is monoecious and homothallic I.g. both the sex
organs antheridia and archegonia are borne scattered over the entire
surface of gametophyte .
1) Antheridia – the mature antheridia is a small spherical
structure and project above the surface of gametophytic
prothallus . it has a single layered jacket of sterile cells which
enclose a mass of spirally coiled multiflagellate antherozoids .
2) Archegonia – the mature archegonia is almost completely
embedded in the tissue of the gametophytic prothallus , only a
part of neck is projecting out . neck of archegonia has two
neck canal nuclei , a venter canal cell and an egg .
Fertilization – fully mature archegonia secretes some chemical
substances , which attract the antherozoids . antherozoids enter the
neck of archegonia and finally single antherozoids fuses with the egg
and form diploid zygote .
Zygote is a first cell of sporophytic generation . it divide and form
sporophytic plant body .
