Metzgeria
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Metzgeria | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 "Metzgeria furcata" growing on bark in Germany.
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||
|
See text. |
Metgeria is a genus of thallose liverworts in the family Metzgeriaceae. The genus was named in honor of Johann Christian Metzger, former director of the Heidelberg Botanical Garden.
Approximately 120 to 200 species of Metzgeria have been described. Species may be either monoicous or dioicous.
[edit] Commercial uses
Metzgeria has been made popular as a freshwater aquarium plant by Tropica[1]. It has been sold under the name Pellia or Pelia, and is now sold as Monosolenium tenerum, though none of these names is correct. In cultivation, it is often grown as a sinking carpet or foreground plant for an aquascaped aquarium. It does not have true roots, stems or leafs but it grows by branching its flat fleshy thalli.[2] Aquarists often tie the plant to wood or rock or other aquarium decor to allow a controlled localised plant growth. Depending on water chemistry, its thalli can adopt different growth size and patterns. In optimum condition, thalli can reach widths of 0.5-1.0cm and branch every 1 to 1.5 cm. In less optimum conditions (eg., lack of dissolved CO2), thalli become thinner and adopt a more elongated branching pattern.
[edit] References
- ^ Monosolenium tenerum (erroneously “Pellia”). Tropica Aquarium Plants. Retrieved on 2006-12-14.
- ^ Monosolenium tenerum (Pellia). The Teh. Retrieved on 2006-12-14.
[edit] External links
- The Teh (photos, mistakenly labelled Monosolenium)
.jpg/40px-Unidentified_species_050a_(aka).jpg){kind=small}
