| Monosolenium | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Marchantiophyta |
| Class: | Marchantiopsida |
| Order: | Marchantiales |
| Family: | Monosoleniaceae Inoue[2] |
| Genus: | Monosolenium Griff.[1] |
| Species: | M. tenerum |
| Binomial name | |
| Monosolenium tenerum | |
 | |
| Approximate distribution map ofMonosolenium. Green indicates presence. | |
| Synonyms | |
Monosolenium tenerum, is aweedyspecies ofliverwort found in eastAsia. It is the only species in the genusMonosolenium and the familyMonosoleniaceae. It is commonly confused with similar-looking plants in the aquarium trade likePellia liverworts andSüsswassertang, a fern gametophyte.
Monosolenium tenerum is aterrestrial plant, growing on moist, shady soil, sometimes in association withMarchantia palmata.[5] The species has aneast Asiatic distribution. It has been found in eastIndia (Assam,Himachal Pradesh, &Uttarakhand),[5]Nepal,[6]China (northwesternSichuan,[7]Guangdong,[2] &Macau),Taiwan,[8] as well as theRyukyu Islands,Japan, andHawaii.[2] All areas where the plant grows aresubtropical ortemperate regions withmesic habitats, where there is ample supply of moisture. Perhaps it is because the species grows in such mesic climates that thethallus (plant body) has become simplified, since the chambered internal anatomy of otherMarchantiales seems adapted to a climate with periodic drying and an unreliable water supply.[9]
The species is able to exploit high levels ofnitrogen in surfacesoil to achieve local dominance. It is therefore most common in areas inhabited by man, where the nitrogen levels have been artificially elevated, such as by the application offertilizers.[10] Occurrences in the wild are rare, but plants are not uncommon in populated areas. Schuster notes:
InJapan the incidence of this species has declined in the countryside in recent decades—after adoption of modern plumbing. When the old-fashionedprivy was current,Monosolenium was a common "weed," as, e.g., around the privies in the periphery of theMossy Temple atKyoto...and in settled areas. The plant apparently hardly occurs "wild" and always seems associated with man—much like that other east Asiaticmonotype,Ginkgo biloba. It is of interest that this plant, "lost" for decades, appeared on fertilized soil in a greenhouse inMunich, givingGoebel the opportunity to carefully investigate the taxon.[10]
Monosolenium has been red-listed as avulnerable species in Japan.[11] It also is extremely rare inIndia, where it is confined to altitudes between about 550 to 1000 m in the sub-Himalayas, as a result ofhabitat destruction). However,Monosolenium is common in other countries where it occurs.[5]
A plant sold asMonosolenium tenerum and commonly calledPellia orPelia has been made popular as a freshwateraquarium plant by Tropica is now being sold asMonosolenium tenerum.[12][13] A similar looking plant, known in the hobby as "Süsswassertang" is often sold under the nameRoundPellia orRound Pelia, but neither of these names is correct. Süsswassertang is now known to be thegametophyte of a species offern, in the genusLomariopsis.[14]
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Data related toMonosolenium tenerum at Wikispecies