Spore Shedding Vascular Plants Psilotum Lycopodium Equisetum Psilotum nudum (whisk fern) Psilotum nudum (whisk fern) http://imagenes.infojardin.com/sube/images/cqs1194212302m.jpg Psilotum has a stem doing virtually all the photosynthesis, with dichotomous branching, enations without vascular tissue, and yellow synangia in the axils of the enations. Below ground, the stem is not photosynthetic but the epidermis forms rhizoids for anchorage. The plant thus lacks roots and leaves with underground stem (rhizome) doing the anchorage functions. Psilotum stem cross section radial exarch triarch actinostele guard cells epidermis cutin PSN cortex lignified cortex respiring cortex phloem metaxylem protoxylem Protosteles: haplosteles actinostele plectostele Siphonosteles: siphonostele solenostele dictyostele cortex phloem xylem cortex phloem xylem pith leaf gap leaf trace eustele dicot stem atactostele monocot stem Psilotum stem specimen more than triarch http://sols.unlv.edu/Schulte/Anatomy/Stems/PsilotumWhole.jpg Psilotum rhizomes with rhizoids http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Psilotum_nudum_Rhizome.jpg/800px-Psilotum_nudum_Rhizome.jpg http://www.dipbot.unict.it/sistematica_es/Immagini/21001.JPG Psilotum rhizome cross-section http://www.dipbot.unict.it/sistematica_es/Immagini/21001.JPG Psilotum stem demonstrates dichotomous branching, enations (no vascular tissue) and two of the three sporangia in a single synangium Psilotum sporangium (a three-parted synangium) This specimen has shed its spores into the wind and so the sterile jackets are empty. At the bottom of the view is a partial stem crosssection showing: epidermis, cortex and a portion of the vascular cylinder. http://kentsimmons.uwinnipeg.ca/2153/Psilotum_gametophyte.jpg antheridia http://www.siu.edu/~perspect/01_sp/pics/psilotum.jpg http://kentsimmons.uwinnipeg.ca/2153/psilotAnthLowMag.jpg archegonium Psilotum gametophyte tissues all haploid http://kentsimmons.uwinnipeg.ca/2153/psilotoArchigonium.jpg Psilotum gametophyte (SE to NW) and sporophyte (Y-shape) The photo is flipped and cropped. Some versions of Powerpoint may fail to retain this making the labels erroneous! 1N gametophyte 1N antheridium 2N rhizome 2N rhizoid 1N rhizoid Cooksonia Earliest Land Plants from the Early Devonian Rhynia