Prionolobns Turner! {Hook.), Spruce.
Jungermania Turneri, Hook. Brit. Ju n g . t. 29 (1810).
Anthelia Turneri, Dum. Recueil, p. 18 (1835).
Cephalozia Turneri, Lindb. in Journ. Linn. Soc. xiii. (1873) ; Spruce, On Cepbalozia,
p. 71 (1882).
Prionolohus Tm-neri, Spruce, Hep. Am. e t And. p. 508 (1885).
Monoicous and dioicous, aero- (rarely dado-) oarpous, depresso-
cæspitose, eflagelliferous, small, fragile, pale reddish colour, at the
apices greenish. Stems jirostrate at the base, subradiculose,
assurgent, subramose, branohes lateral, rarely postieal, polyphyllous,
terete. Cells of the stem pluristratose, very delicate,
interior opaque, cortical similar, slightly larger, subpellucid.
Leaves peotinate-distichons, dose and equitant, to about the
middle or more complicate-bilobed, the wliole margin irregularly
acutely dentate-serrate, often doubly so, lobes ovate or ovate-
lanceolate, acute or apioulate, antioal lobe erect and subparallel
with the stem, postical (a little broader), patent at an angle of
about 60°, cells small to minute, quadrate-hexagonal, plane,
beautifully guttulate, walls and angles strongly thickened, no
trigones, slightly endoohromio. Stipules none. Flowers ? terminal,
often on elongated branches, innovations wanting. Bracts 1-3
pairs, the innermost almost twice the size of the leaves, connate
at the antical base, spinose-dentate, bilobed, lobes subacuminate,
acute ; bracteole highly connate with the adjoining bract, ovate,
subacuminate, entire or bilobed, spinose-dentate. (Leaves next
to the outer bracts a little larger than tbe others, free at the base,
no folioles added.) Periantli jirojecting much bej’ond the bracts,
delicate, composed of a single layer of cells, about 90 round the
middle (except at the base and tbe angles, where there are sometimes
two layers) linear (at the base a little narrow), pentagonal-
prismatic, keels somewhat high, apex rotundate, mouth almost
closed, obscurely ciliolate, ciliola very narrow, long, hyaline.
Calyptra delicate. Capsule oval. Androecia on the same or often
on different stems, occupying the middle of tbe branch ; perigonial
bracts assurgent, several pairs, somewhat similar to the leaves,
sometimes larger ; antheridia single, oval.
Fruits March, April.
Dimensions.—Stems 3 to inch long, ’06 mm. diam. with
leaves ’4 mm. wide; leaves '25 mm. x '2 mm., segments T25 mm.
to T5 mm.; cells '015 mm. to '03 mm. ; bracts '45 mm. x '7 mm.,
seg. '3 mm. ; perianth 1'25 mm. x '275 mm.; teeth at the mouth
■02mm. long; perigonial bracts '25 mm. x '2 mm., seg. '075 mm.
to 15 mm.; antheridia '09 mm. x '07 mm.
H ab.— “ Sandy or loamy situations, under shade of bushes or
on ditch banks, nearly always associated with AtrieJmm widdatum,
Diplopliyllum albicans, and sometimes with Nardia scalaris and
Marsupella Funckii.”
Very rare.
2. Tilgate and Ashdown Forest, Sussex, E. Jenner, 1842,
G. E. Daoies, 1879. 5. Wolford Wood, Warwick, J. E. liagiiall,
1891. 7. Dolgelly, Merioneth, IF. H. P., 1875.
I. By the side of a mountain rivulet near Bantiy, Co. Cork,
Miss Hutchins, with female flowers, in March 1811? On a wet
sandy bank, Cromaglown, Co. Kerry, bearing autoicous perianths,
July 23, 1873, Prof. Lindberg.
C. On a gravelly bank near the sea, Guernsey, E. D. ALarquand,
1893.
Found on the Continent (France), Canary Islands, Northern
Africa, and coast counties of California, North America.
Obs.—A very beautiful species, remarkable for its guttulate
texture and dentate-serrate leaves.
Distinguished from Cephalozia dentata (Eaddi) by its lateral
branches and absence (>f stipules.
Although described by Spruce (whose descriqition I follow)
and others as polyoicous (monoicous and dioicous) I have never
met with any hut dioicous plants, the J and ? sometimes growing
entangled together, but on separate plants.
Description OP P late LXXIV.—Fig. 1. Plants natural size.
2. Portion of stem, antioal view x 85. 3, 4. Leaves x 85.
5,6. Ditto, explánate x 85. 7. Antioal lobe of leaf x 85. 8, Postical
lobe of leaf x 85. 9. Portion of leaf x 290. 10,11. Bracts
X 64. 12. Perianth x 31, 13. Cross-section of perianth x 31.