Jungermanniaceae

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Jungermanniaceae

A leafy liverwort, Mylia taylorii

Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Marchantiophyta
Class:	Jungermanniopsida
Order:	Jungermanniales
Family:	Jungermanniaceae

Genera

Anomacaulis (Schust.) Schust. ex Grolle
Cryptochila Schust.
Cryptocolea Schust.
Cryptocoleopsis Amak.
Denotarisia Grolle
Diplocolea Amak.
Gottschelia Grolle
Jamesoniella (Spruce) Schiffn.
Jungermannia L.
Lophonardia Schist.
Mylia S. Gray
Nardia S. Gray
Solenostoma Mitt.
Syzygiella Spruce

The namesake family of leafy liverworts. It is a group of small plants that are widely distributed.

Most of the species of this family are found in temperate regions.

The main characteristics of the family:

1. The leaves are succubous.
2. The leaves are unlobed and never decurrent along the stem.
3. Perianth is terminal on the leading shoot.
4. Rhizoids are scattered along the stem.

[edit] Family Description

While many species are green, some species may be brownish to reddish. When the plants branch, the branches do not grow from the underside of the stem.

The leaves are unlobed and have a smooth edge, although in Nardia the leaves may have a shallow notch at the tip or be shallowly bilobed. The underleaves are tapered and narrow in the genera Nardia and Mylia, but they are vestigial or absent in Jungermannia, Solenostoma, and Jamesoniella.

The rhizoids are scattered along the underside of the stem, and not restricted to specific patches near the underleaves. Species of Mylia and Nardia may have gemmae.