The present work deals with in vitro culture of an IUCN red listed, endemic and endangered Indian liverwort Stephensoniella brevipedunculata Kashyap. The species often fails to produce viable spores, therefore, the apical meristematic parts (apical part of the vegetative thalli, 1-2 mm in length) were used as ex plants. The application of 1 % sodium hypochlorite solution for 8-10 s proved optimum for the surface sterilization of ex plants.Half strength Knop's macronutrients medium favoured the growth under continuous illumination of 4,000-5,500 lux at 20 ± 2°C temperature. Ex plants (apical thallus part) directly regenerated into well developed thalli, while spontaneous regeneration via callus formation was also observed in presence of certain contaminating microbes.Stephensoniella brevipedunculata Kashyap, a phylogenetically significant thalloid liverwort belonging to the family Exormothecaceae of the order Marchantiales, was instituted by Kashyap [1,2] in the year 1914 on the basis of specimen collected from western Himalaya (Mussoorie). Subsequently, the species was also reported from Simla, Kulu and Dulchi pass at an altitude of 2,000-2,400 m in 1929. Among the 55 liverwort genera represented by single species in India [3], Stephensoniella is one of the genus, endemic to India and distributed in the territories of western Himalaya [3,4]. IUCN (Bryophyte Specialist Group) 2000[5], categorized this species as an endangered species owing to its localized presence and habitat destruction because of urbanisation at lower altitudes. Several natural disasters like massive landslides, cloud burst etc. also devastate the natural habitat of this species. The area of its occupancy is less than 500 km 2 with less than five localities and the habitat is declining, thus, meets the IUCN criteria for endangered based on small area and decline in habitat quality and extent [5]. Pant [6], Pant and Tewari [7], Udar and Srivastava [8] considered this species as threatened on account of disturbance of its localities due to rapid urbanization, tourism, deforestation and pollution caused by vehicular traffic. In an attempt to the disappearance of this prestigious Indian liverwort Udar et al. [9] carried out detailed study on its reproductive biology. It was emphasized that the spores although germinate in vitro [10] do not play any significant role in reproduction, dispersal and proliferation in wild. It appears that the limited reproductive mechanism predominated by asexual means (tubers), the monotypic nature, narrow ecological niche and changing microclimate together with several other abiotic disturbance have imposed several limitations on its uninterrupted growth and thus causing threat to its very survival [3,9].In view of its endemic and endangered nature, in vitro propagation of Stephensoniella was carried out by tissue culture. The successful micropropagation might help in its ex situ conservation, maintenance of its in vitro germplasm and possible rehabilitation of Stephensoniella in their natural habitat for restoration ...
