Gemma Cups of the Liverwort Marchantia

Walter Piorkowski · Post by **Walter Piorkowski** » Sat May 30, 2015 3:47 pm

Gemma Cups of the Liverwort Marchantia

Image #1 - Gemmae forming inside the gemma cup.
Leitz 6.3x Plan Apo. 65 images at .001 inch increments.
base illuminated diffuser

Image #2 - Opened gemma cup ready for gemmae dispersal.
Leitz 4x Plan Fluorite 42 images at .002 inch increments.
diffused fiber optic illumination.

Two examples of how you are likely to find a gemma cup. A forming and opened gemma cup were put under the microscope for these images. These cups emerge from the gametophyte or leaflike portion of the plant. Marchantia can reproduce itself from these discoidal shaped gemmae formed in the base of the cup.
For images of these cups in nature, please see the images I posted on the “Nature Photography - Macro and Closeup” gallery, “The Liverwort Marchantia” Image #2 and 3.

Leitz Ortholux microscope
Canon 50D
4x Leitz projection eyepiece and 1/3X relay lens.
Stacked in Zerene, processed in Photoshop.

Walt

carlos.uruguay · Post by **carlos.uruguay** » Sun May 31, 2015 7:22 am

Excellent!

ChrisR · Post by **ChrisR** » Sun May 31, 2015 8:12 am

Very Nice set(s). This is about the only liverwort I could fairly reliably find - it seems to like slightly unkempt garden centers!

Walter Piorkowski · Post by **Walter Piorkowski** » Sun May 31, 2015 6:51 pm

Hi Carlos and Chris. Glad you liked the images. Chris, it sounds like your marchantia is a lot easier to get at than mine.
Walt

discomorphella · Post by **discomorphella** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 7:48 am

Beautiful. Large patches of similar species grow by my stream bank in the Oregon coast range. Having seen these great shots I am inspired to put some into the microtome.

David

Walter Piorkowski · Post by **Walter Piorkowski** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 6:41 pm

Thank you David. If you do some microtoming, will you do the whole water removing series and encase the subject in paraffin or something more simple. I have one myself & it presently gets little use.
Walt

pwnell · Post by **pwnell** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:00 am

Great shots. Very interesting - have not seen that before.

discomorphella · Post by **discomorphella** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 1:41 pm

Hi Walter,

My Marchantia specimens are fixed in FAA (formalin ethanol acetic acid) fixative and so I am going to take them through the remaining alcohol, histoclear-2 and paraffin embedding steps. I've got the work flow down so its not difficult for me. I will just have to take care to get the reproductive structures and thalli properly oriented in the mold so I get good cuts.

David

Jacek · Post by **Jacek** » Tue Jun 02, 2015 11:14 pm

Very nice

Marek Mis · Post by **Marek Mis** » Wed Jun 03, 2015 1:22 am

Very interesting and excellent images !

Marek

Walter Piorkowski · Post by **Walter Piorkowski** » Fri Jun 05, 2015 10:17 am

Thank you gentlemen. Walt