''Lunularia cruciata'', the crescent-cup liverwort,
is a
liverwort
The Marchantiophyta () are a division of non-vascular land plants commonly referred to as hepatics or liverworts. Like mosses and hornworts, they have a gametophyte-dominant life cycle, in which cells of the plant carry only a single set of g ...
of the order
Marchantiales
Marchantiales is an order of thallose liverworts (also known as "complex thalloid liverworts") that includes species like ''Marchantia polymorpha'', a widespread plant often found beside rivers, and '' Lunularia cruciata'', a common and often tr ...
(until recently included in the
order
Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to:
* Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood
* Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...
Lunulariales), and the only species in the genus ''Lunularia'' and family Lunulariaceae. The name, from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''luna'', moon, refers to the moon-shaped
gemma cups.
Distribution
''L. cruciata'' is distributed across the world, found in continents including
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
,
Australasia
Australasia is a region that comprises Australia, New Zealand and some neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term is used in a number of different contexts, including geopolitically, physiogeographically, philologically, and ecologica ...
,
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
, the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
, and
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. It occurs commonly in western Europe, and is native to the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
region, where the morphological forms from sexual reproduction are more frequently found there.
It is also common in
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, where it now grows "wild", and is known as an introduced weed in gardens and greenhouses in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
[Schuster, Rudolf M. ''The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America'', volume VI, pages 80-91. (Chicago: Field Museum of Natural History, 1992). .] Ella Orr Campbell
Dame Ella Orr Campbell (28 October 1910 – 24 July 2003) was a New Zealand Botany, botanist. An expert on bryophytes, she published 130 scientific papers on liverworts, hornworts, orchids, and wetlands. She became the first woman faculty membe ...
believed that ''L. cruciata'' was introduced into
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
sometime after 1867.
The
sporophyte
A sporophyte () is the diploid multicellular stage in the life cycle of a plant or alga which produces asexual spores. This stage alternates with a multicellular haploid gametophyte phase.
Life cycle
The sporophyte develops from the zygote pr ...
s of ''L. cruciata'' are rare, but has been found in European regions, as well as in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
, California,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and New Zealand.
Habitat and ecology
''L. cruciata'' grows in damp, shaded and disturbed habitats such as path and wall edges.
It can act as a nutrient indicator because it often grows in alkaline and eutrophic to highly eutrophic soil.
Other habitats include
loam
Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...
, boulders, concrete, exposed tree roots, soil covered logs and in the gaps between sidewalk stones.
''L. cruciata'' also grows as a horticultural weed in gardens, greenhouses and parks.
''L. cruciata'' is sensitive to frost, and is often found near water, where its gemmae are washed ashore.
Morphology
''L. cruciata'' grows large, dichotomously branched green thalli with crescent shaped gemma cups containing disc like gemmae.
This is a unique morphological characteristic not possessed by other thalloid liverworts. Its thallus surface is shiny, faintly lined, and is dotted with tiny air pores. When dried the thallus turns yellowish in color and its margin rolls inward.
Reproduction
As in other liverworts, the main plant body or
thallus
Thallus (plural: thalli), from Latinized Greek (), meaning "a green shoot" or "twig", is the vegetative tissue of some organisms in diverse groups such as algae, fungi, some liverworts, lichens, and the Myxogastria. Many of these organisms wer ...
is a
haploid
Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...
gametophyte
A gametophyte () is one of the two alternation of generations, alternating multicellular organism, multicellular phases in the life cycles of plants and algae. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has on ...
. The
antheridia
An antheridium is a haploid structure or organ producing and containing male gametes (called ''antherozoids'' or sperm). The plural form is antheridia, and a structure containing one or more antheridia is called an androecium. Androecium is also t ...
of ''L. cruciata'' develops in early spring, the
archegonia
An archegonium (pl: archegonia), from the ancient Greek ''ἀρχή'' ("beginning") and ''γόνος'' ("offspring"), is a multicellular structure or organ of the gametophyte phase of certain plants, producing and containing the ovum or female ga ...
develops in spring and sporophytes develop in late summer.
However, records of sporophyte developments and sexual reproduction are rare and scattered. This was suspected to have been the result of the anthropogenic spreading of this species, causing a disjunctive distribution of antheridia and archegonia.
When reproducing sexually, the four archegonia is arranged in a cross-shaped head (hence the specific name ''cruciata'') bearing
diploid
Ploidy () is the number of complete sets of chromosomes in a cell, and hence the number of possible alleles for autosomal and pseudoautosomal genes. Sets of chromosomes refer to the number of maternal and paternal chromosome copies, respectively ...
sporophyte plantlets. When reproducing asexually, the disc-shaped gemmae are readily dislodged from the cups by splashes of rainwater. They can then quickly "take root" and start to grow in suitably damp places, which is why they are so successful in greenhouses.
Chemical properties
Like many other liverwort species, ''L. cruciata'' produces a dihydrostilbenoid growth hormone,
lunularic acid
Lunularic acid is a dihydrostilbenoid found in the liverwort ''Lunularia cruciata'' and in the roots of ''Hydrangea macrophylla''.
A lunularic acid decarboxylase has been detected from the liverwort ''Conocephalum conicum
''Conocephalum conicu ...
, that is reported to be a growth inhibitor of liverworts.
Cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Like zinc, it demonstrates oxidation state +2 in most of ...
in this liverwort also inhibits gemma germination and apical thallus growth, as well as altering cell and
chloroplast
A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant and algal cells. The photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll captures the energy from sunlight, converts it, and stores it in ...
structure.
Acetone
Acetone (2-propanone or dimethyl ketone), is an organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest and smallest ketone (). It is a colorless, highly volatile and flammable liquid with a characteristic pungent odour.
Acetone is miscib ...
extracts from ''L. cruciata'' were tested and showed antibacterial properties, but had no effects against fungal activity.
References
External links
*
USDA information
Photos
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q1474234, from2=Q21441194, from3=Q17276679, from4=Q17276680
Liverworts
Monotypic bryophyte genera
Bryophyta of North America
Flora of Europe
Flora of California
Flora of New Zealand
Liverwort genera