PTERIDOLOGY

Morphology, ecology and

phylogeny of Psilopsida.
( Rhyniales, Psilophytales and Psilotales)
 Psilopsida
Psilopsida is characterised by root-less
sporophytes, dichotomously branched
rhizome and aerial axes. The aerial axes
are either naked or have small spirally
arranged appendages.
Vascular cylinder is protostelic
Thick walled sporangia either terminate
branches or are borne laterally on them.
Psilopsida divided into three orders
I. Rhyniales
II. Psilophytales
III.Psilotales
 1. Psilophytales.
 First fossils of vascular plants.(from the
silurian and devonian period.)
 Rhynia,Horncophyton(Rhyniaceae),Ast
eroxylon(Asteroxylaceae) are included
in psilophytales.
 Small plant,the aerial dichotomous
axes arose from subterranean
horizontal rhizome (Rhynia gwynne-
vaughani).
Generally the plant having rhizome
lacking rhizoids.
Smaller rhizome branches acted as
anchoring and absorbing organs.
The shoot system lacked differentiation
into stem and root.
Aerial axes terminated into sporangia,and
lacking leaves (Rhynia gwynne-vaughani).
Generally lacked true leaves and very
simple protostelar vascular strand.
Horneophyton have sporangia ,the
central sterile region called columella.
Some leafless branches terminating
in pearshaped sporangia,it is
considered as fertile branches.
Sporophyte arising from
gametophyte so the sporophytic
generation is dependent on
gametophytic generation.
 Psilophytales lived from the
middle silurian to upper devonian.
 The fossils remains of the
psilophytales have been found in
widely scattered regions such as
canada, Scotland, France,USA etc
 Trends of evolutionary
specialisation in
psilophytales.
After the transfer of Asteroxylon to
lycopsida is validated within order
psilophytales as established,by
kidston and lang (1917), following
lines of specialisation.
a)Rhynia, Horneophyt
on and cooksonia repr
esent the first line wit
h terminal sporangia t
hat dehisced longitudi
nally (Rhyniophytina).
Its simplicity gave rise
to the belief that these
are the ancestors of all
the pteridophytes.
Horneophyton lignieri
b) Zosterophyllum rep
resent the second line
in which sporangia we
re lateral, globose or r
eniform and dehisced
along the distal edge
(Zosterophyllophytin
a).
The sporangia gives a
ppearance of spike.
c) Trimerophyton a
long with psilophy
ton is the third line
.In Trimerophyton
sporangia terminat
e dichotomously o
r trichotomously b
ranched lateral axe
s(Trimerophytina).
These three lines within psilophytales
have been named Rhyniophytina,
zosterophyllophytina and
Trimerophytina.
 A terminal sporangiate plexus of plants
(including bushy Trimerophyton) leading to
the filicopsida.
 A smaller lateral sporangiate plexus leading
to lycopsida.
 Simple sporangia which show the columella
(a prolongation of the stem vascular system)
in Horneophyton demonstrating the stem
nature of the sporangium.The extreme
simplicity of Rhyniacea suggest an
elaboration of the anthoceros type
sporophyte.
 2. Psilotales.
 It is an interesting group of
plants.
 The order comprises two genera
psilotum and Tmesipteris.
 The genera are quite distinct
from each other but in some
details they intergrade.
Morphology:
 Structural organization are similar to early
land plants(Psillphytales).
 Plant consist of a subterranean rhizome
and dichotomously branched aerial axes.
 Plant is cylindrical, dichotomously
branched mycorrhizic structure with
numerous rhizoids.
 Rhizome anchors the plant.
 The plant lack roots and instead the
rhizoids.
 Rhizoids serve for absorption.
 Mycorrhiza also assist in absorption.
 Tip of rhizoids proliferate to form
gemmae which on regeneration produce
entire plants (Psilotum nudum).
 On aerial branches, except the base ,are
present small awl-shaped leaf like
appendages.
 Leaf like appendages are present
without any vascular trace (Psilotum).
 Scale like leaves are present near the
base(Tmesipteris).
 Stout aerial branches bear large conspicuous
sporangia (sporangium is three lobed
structure).
 A group of fused sporangia with distinct
partition Wallis called synangium.
 Synangium terminates short lateral branches.
 Members of Tmesipteris have lanceolate leaves
at the upper region of the stem with a single
vascular bundle.
Distribution:
 The members of psilotales showing
restricted distribution.
P.flaccidum is a pendulous epiphyte,rare in
distribution (Mexico,Hawaii,Paciffic islands).
P.nudum frequent in tropics and subtropics
(20-25 cm height).Generally found in
crevices of rocks, rarely occurs as an
epiphyte.
Psilotum cultivate in greenhouses.
Tmesipteris : T.tannensis is a
pendulous epiphyte occurring in
Australia,New Zealand, Tasmania
etc.
T.vieillardii is a terrestrial plant
occasionally also an epiphyte.
Psilotum flaccidum
Tmesipteris tannensis
Tmesipteris tannensis
Tmesipteris vieillardii
Phylogenitic relation:
Some of the features shows resemblance with early
vascular plants (Psillphytales).
1. Dichotomously branched sporophyte with
subterranean and errect axes.
2. Absence of well defined leaves in Psilotum.
3. Sporangia in rare instances are terminal and
occasionally terminate short branches in Psilotum.
4. Absence of root system.
These four similarities with Psillphytales are
suggestive of Psilotales as most primitive among
vascular plants.
 Presence of specific phenolic compound
in Psilotum and Tmesipteris not found in
lycopsida indicate that the two genera
constitute a natural group in pteridophyta
and should be placed before lycopsida.
 Work of Spiker(1974), revealed that
histones of Psilotum have an
electrophoretic pattern similar to that of
mosses and it is unlike that of vascular
plants.This places Psilotum at the
beginning of vascular plants.
 3.Rhyniales.
Characters:
 Rhyniales are oldest vascular plants.
 This order include only the rhynia.
 Lack of differentiation into stem and roots.
 Uniform dichotomous branching.
 Appendages,that cannot be called leaves.
 Simple stele,a slender strand of tracheids.
 Sporangia,were modified branch tips.
Rhynia in particular is not considered to be a
representative of earliest land plants.This is
because more complex form (Asteroxylon)
coexisted with rhynia in devonian and more
complex forms preceded them in fossil
record.Therefore the primitive status of
rhynia is questionable.
Rhynia is reduced form of complex
ancestors,or it is truly a primitive form. In its
simple organization,it represent a stage in
the evolution of vascular land plants.