rerr——r—e——ierrre
External Features of Rhynia:
1. Plant body was sporophytic.
2. Rhynia major was bigger and attained a
height of 50 cm. with a diameter of 1.5 to 6
mim.,while R.gwynne-vaughani (Fig. 206) had
a height of 20 cm. and a diameter of 1 to 3
mm.
A B
Fig. 206. Alhynia, extemal features. A, R. major, 8.
AR. gwynne-vaughani
3. Plants had a rhizome which was
dichotomously branched.
4. From rhizone developed many
dichotomously branched erect aerial shoots
towards the upper side while many rhizoids
towards the lower side.
5. There were no roots on the plants.
6. Aerial shoots of Rhynia major were smooth
and devoid of leaf or any other outgrowth,
while in case of R.gwynne-vaughani many
adventitious branches were present on the
aerial shoots.7. Aerial shoots were either ending into
simple vegetative tips or having terminal
sporangia.
Anatomy of Rhynia:
1. Rhizome and aerial shoots of the plant were
internally differentiated into epidermis,
cortex and stele (Fig. 207).
2. Stele was of a simple protostele type, (i.e.,
central column of xylem was surrounded by
phloem).
3. Xylem was made up of only tracheids.
4, Phloem was 4 to 5-cells in thickness.
cuticle epidermis
Sporangial
wall
inner cortex’ 2 outer cortex
tewads
Fig. 207. Rihynia. A, T-S. rhizome; B, L.S. sporangium.
5. There was no endodermis in between
cortex and stele.
6. Cortex was differentiated into outer and
inner cortex, and was about 10 times more in
thickness than stele.
7. The inner cortex was made up of many
spherical cells having large intercellular
spaces.8. The outer cortex was one to four cells in
thickness and without any intercellular
spaces.
9. Outermost layer was one-celled thick
epidermis with a thick cuticle.
10. Continuity of epidermis was broken by
many stomata.