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Electronic Flora of South Australia Family Fact Sheet
Phylum Rhodophyta – Family Rhodomelaceae
Thallus usually erect, branching radial on all sides (rarely becoming bilateral) with all branches indeterminate or also with lateral determinate branches; apical cells protruding, trichoblasts usually present, colourless (non-rhodoplastic), caducous; trichoblasts and lateral branches usually produced spirally from successive segments.
Reproduction: Gametophytes usually dioecious. Procarps borne on a lower cell of trichoblasts. Spermatangial branches terete, produced as branches of trichoblasts.
Tetrasporangia single (rarely double) per segment in ordinary branches of the thallus, in spiral or straight rows.
Type genus: Polysiphonia Greville 1823: lxvii, 230, nom. cons.
Taxonomic notes: A tribe of about 20 genera (Hommersand 1963, p. 347), of which 7 occur on southern Australian coasts.
References:
GREVILLE, R.K. (1823). Scottish Cryptog. Fl. Vol. 2 (Edinburgh & London.)
HOMMERSAND, M.H. (1963). The morphology and classification of some Ceramiaceae and Rhodomelaceae. Univ. Calif. Pubis. Bot. 35(2), 165–366.
SCHMITZ, F. (1889). Systematische Übersicht der bisher bekannten Gattungen der Florideen. Flora, Jena 72, 435–456, Plate 21.
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part IIID complete list of references.
Publication:
Womersley, H.B.S. (24 February, 2003)
The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia
Rhodophyta. Part IIID. Ceramiales – Delesseriaceae, Sarcomeniaceae, Rhodomelaceae
Reproduced with permission from The Marine Benthic Flora of Southern Australia Part IIID 2003, by H.B.S. Womersley. Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra. Copyright Commonwealth of Australia.
KEY TO GENERA OF POLYSIPHONIEAE
1. Lateral branches essentially similar to main branches, not reduced to short determinate laterals | POLYSIPHONIA |
1. Lateral branches forming short determinate laterals moderately to densely covering the long indeterminate branches | 2 |
2. Determinate laterals corticate to close to apices | 3 |
2. Determinate laterals ecorticate or slightly corticate | 4 |
3. Thallus with 4 pericentral cells, determinate laterals closely radially arranged, usually simple | LOPHURELLA |
3. Thallus with 6 pericentral cells, determinate laterals distant, spirally arranged, more or less complanately and subdichotomously branched with bicornate ends | ALLEYNEA |
4. Short determinate laterals radially branched | 5 |
4. Short determinate laterals distichously branched | 8 |
5. Four pericentral cells, indeterminate branches heavily corticated or ecorticate | 6 |
5. Seven or | 7 |
6. Indeterminate branches ecorticate | TOLYPIOCLADIA |
6. Indeterminate branches heavily corticate | ECHINOTHAMNION |
7. Seven pericentral cells, trichoblasts abundant, branched; tetrasporangia single per segment | DIPLOCLADIA |
7. Eleven-13 (–15) pericentral cells, trichoblasts rare; tetrasporangia paired per segment | PERRINIA |
8. Determinate laterals mostly coupled, the upper compressed and pinnate, alternately distichously branched, with | PITYOPHYCOS |
8. Determinate laterals compressed, with | CHIRACANTHIA |
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