What are Microphyllous and Megaphyllous leaves?

Microphylls are the leaves with a single vein, which is unbranched. Generally, microphylls occur in lycophytes and horsetails. In contrast, megaphylls are the other type of leaves with multiple veins and leaf gaps. They occur in angiosperms, gymnosperms, and fronds of ferns.

What is the difference between megaphylls and microphylls?

Microphylls are defined as leaves of small size, with simple venation (one vein) and associated with steles that lack leaf gaps (protosteles). By contrast, megaphylls are defined as leaves of generally larger size, with complex venation and associated with leaf gaps in the stele [3].

What is a Megaphyllous leaf?

In plant anatomy and evolution a microphyll (or lycophyll) is a type of plant leaf with one single, unbranched leaf vein. Plants with microphyll leaves occur early in the fossil record, and few such plants exist today. Megaphylls, in contrast, have multiple veins within the leaf and leaf gaps above them in the stem.

What are microphyll leaves give example?

A leaf with only one vascular bundle and no complex network of veins. Horsetails and lycophytes (such as club mosses) have microphylls. Microphylls on modern plants are generally small but in extinct phyla the same structures could grow quite large.

Does Moss have Megaphyll?

Club mosses differ from other vascular seedless plants due to the presence of microphylls, very small leaves that only have a single vein. Most other plants have megaphylls, leaves with more than one vein. Like all vascular plants, club mosses reproduce via alternation of generations.

Is Salvinia a Microphyllous?

They are global in distribution and develop luxuriantly in forests, mountains, valleys and so on. Various common illustrations of ferns are Azolla, Nephrolepis, Ophioglossum, Pteris, Adiantum, Marsilea, Osmunda, Salvinia and so on.

What are microphylls megaphylls and sporophylls?

A sporophyll is a leaf that bears sporangia. Both microphylls and megaphylls can be sporophylls. In heterosporous plants, sporophylls (whether they are microphylls or megaphylls) bear either megasporangia and thus are called megasporophylls, or microsporangia and are called microsporophylls.

Is a Microphyll a true leaf?

The leaves of lycophytes are microphylls. The leaves of other plants are called megaphylls, and they will have multiple or branching veins. The extension of the vascular system into the flaps of tissue creates a true leaf, in this case a microphyll.

What is heterosporous condition?

HETEROSPORY :- THIS IS A CONDITION IN WHICH AN ORGANISM (PLANTS)PRODUCE TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF GAMETES (MORPHOLOGICALLY)i.e, ONE LARGE GAMETE AND THE OTHER BEING A SMALL GAMETE OR FLAGELLATED AND NON-FLAGELLATED GAMETES IS KNOWN AS HETEROSPORY. EXAMPLE:- Selaginella,Salvinia.

Do mosses have microphyll leaves?

Club mosses (Class Lycopodiopsida) represent the oldest living lineage of vascular plants. Most other plants have megaphylls, leaves with more than one vein. Like all vascular plants, club mosses reproduce via alternation of generations.

What is moss used for?

Sphagnum moss is used by the nursery industry as a plant growth medium. Moss is an excellent alternative to mulch since it absorbs water, prevents erosion and debris can be blown off easily because of its compact growth habit. It is also useful in mosquito control since it does not become stagnant, but purifies water.

What is the life cycle of moss?

The life cycle of a moss, like all plants, is characterized by an alternation of generations. A diploid generation, called the sporophyte, follows a haploid generation, called the gametophyte, which is in turn followed by the next sporophyte generation.

Are there any plants that have microphyll leaves?

Plants with microphyll leaves occur early in the fossil record, and few such plants exist today. In the classical concept of a microphyll, the leaf vein emerges from the protostele without leaving a leaf gap.

What is the difference between a megaphyll and a microphyll?

Microphylls and megaphylls. In plant anatomy and evolution a microphyll (or lycophyll) is a type of plant leaf with one single, unbranched leaf vein.

Where is the leaf gap on a microphyllous plant?

In plants with megaphylls there is a break in the vascular tissue of the stem – above the point of leaf attachment. – called a leaf gap. Stems of microphyllous plants do not have a leaf gap – and their vascular tissue is generally very simply arranged.

How big are microphylls in a clubmosse leaf?

The clubmosses and horsetails have microphylls, as in all extant species there is only a single vascular trace in each leaf. Despite their name, microphylls are not always small: those of Isoëtes can reach 20–100 centimetres in length, and the extinct Lepidodendron bore microphylls up to 78 cm long.