Ophioglossum vulgatum
Common adder's tongue ( Ophioglossum vulgatum )
The Common adder's tongue ( Ophioglossum vulgatum ) is a species of ferns in the genus of snake tongues.
Description
The Common snake tongue forms underground from up to 20 roots with a diameter of 0.3 to 0.9 mm and grow radially from the stem axis away. The roots lack root hairs whose function is likely to be taken over by mycorrhizal fungi. The underground prothallus is chlorophylllos usually.
The stem reaches a height of up to a centimeter and a diameter of about 3 mm. He wears only a leaf that forms in the spring or early summer. The sheet is divided into two parts, as with all types adder's tongue. The sterile Trophophyll is undivided. There is stalked, the stem is about 5 mm long. It stands upright or slightly inclined. The color is dark green shiny. The Trophophyll is smooth with a healthy plant. The shape is ovate or ovate - spatulate, it is up to 10 cm long and at its widest point, up to 4 cm wide. His reason includes the fertile sporophyll scheidig, the tip is rounded. The venation is very complex reticulate, with free venules in areoles.
The sporophyll starts at ground level and is two to four times as high as the Trophophyll. Sitting on him two vertical rows from 10 to 35 sporangia, which are 20 to 40 mm long and 1-4 mm wide. The Apiculum, the short head of the sporophyll is 1 to 1.5 mm long.
Ecology
The Common Adder's tongue is a rhizome - Geophyt which occurs more often in herds. The shoot axis is very short, underground, that is, limited to the rhizome. The leaves are individually operated and consist of a yellowish-green, greasy shiny photosynthesis part and a perpendicular thereto, tongue-like part, which bears the ear-like sporangia; Thus, they are composed so that a sterile and fertile part, the latter often fails. Every year, usually unfold only 1 sheet, the need for its development up to 3 years and is not rolled at the top; after Sporenreife it dies. It is a endotrophic VA -mycorrhiza before i.e. Prothallus, embryo and living underground young plant parasitize on the mycorrhizal fungus, which corresponds to a myco - heterotrophy, while the green plant is autotrophic and lives in symbiosis with the fungus. Root hairs are absent. -
The chromosome number is extremely high with 2n = 480; for a stock in the Appalachians they even counted the record attendance of over 1320 chromosomes. -
The young plant parts are in contrast to most other Ferns often eaten relative of feeding pests.
Propagation
The prothallium lives underground, is free from chlorophyll, a few millimeters in size, first from knöllchenförmigem appearance, later irregular vermiform. It is durable and can possibly survive up to 20 years. The spermatozoa have many flagella. The young plant lives for several years underground Us is powered by the mycorrhizal fungus until it first leaves and roots are formed. The sporangia are arranged in two rows. They open 2- klappig by a transverse crack. In contrast to most other native ferns missing a ring, called the annulus with cohesive mechanism, so that the spores are not actively ejected; they are rather passive spread by the wind as granules fliers and are dark to germinate. Sporenreife is from June to August.
The Vegetative propagation is predominant; it is done by root sprouts as " root suckers ."
Occurrence
The Common Adder's tongue settled shady secondary forests, wooded slopes or valleys and forests that are regularly flooded. In Germany it is often found on moorland meadows and damp, patchy rough pastures. The floor must be low in nutrients. The Common Adder's tongue is considered Verbandscharakterart the plant sociological unit of Molinia meadows ( Molinion caeruleae ), an original meadow type with eye-catching grass species. The stock is declining in Germany, however, is well established.
The species is in Eurasia, common in the southern United States and Mexico at altitudes 0-1400 m.
System
The Common Adder's tongue was first published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum. In addition to the nominate Ophioglossum vulgatum var vulgatum still exists a variety O. vulgatum var pycnostichum Fernald, which was described by Áskell Löve and Doris Benta Maria Löve first as a separate species Ophioglossum pycnostichum.
Nearest relative of the ordinary adder's tongue seems to be Ophioglossum pusillum, but differs by a leathery basal leaf sheath and smaller spores.
Copies of the ordinary adder's tongue from Europe or India have two copies of the genome (2n ) on their spores and the DNA is distributed to 2n = 480 chromosomes. In Appalachia there is but one component, with especially large spores which have 2n = circa 1320 chromosomes, this is one of the highest numbers of chromosomes in the entire plant kingdom.
Culture
Folk the Common adder's tongue " Our men Spärkraut " is named after the spear, which was the hanging on the cross Jesus encountered in the side. The nature especially to Friedberg ( Hessen) is called " Fieberkräutchen ". After a practice the plant is harvested in the words of the Ascension: "Here I eat new fruit! - Beware the me God with fever and yellow addiction " eaten!.