Back to Contents

Pak. J. Bot., 42(6): 3723-3728, 2010.

FREE FULL TEXT PDF

THE FIRST ANATOMICAL REPORT AND MORPHOLOGICAL REEXAMINATION OF PSILOTUM NUDUM L., IN IRAN

HASSAN NAZARIAN^1*, RAZIEH TAGHAVIZAD² AND ESMAEIL KHOSRAVI¹

Abstract: Psilotum nudum L., is of considerable importance in palaeobotany considering its age of evolution i.e. Devonian. It has also been recognized as a medicinal herb. In 2003, one sample of this species was identified just by morphological research and introduced as a new record. This research aims at introducing other samples discovered through other anatomical research besides morphology. P. nudum grows on the trunks of old trees of Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn., in the form of epiphyte, as suspended, in North Iran. The plant is 30 cm long and aerial shoot has dichotomic branches. There are prominent longitudinal lines, tiny scaly leaves with spiral phyllotaxy and bifid bracts of synangia on aerial shoot. Synangia are configured spirally on the stem and each contains three connected sporangia. Stele in P. nudum L., is protostele. In rhizome it is of actinostele type. However, it is of siphonostele type in aerial shoot.

¹Department of Natural Sources, Higher Education Center of Agriculture, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization, Karaj, Iran

²Department of Biology, Islamic Azad University, Shahr-e-Rey Branch, Tehran, Iran