8 l He p a t ic æ
more quadrate cells with large trigones, bracts very much more
dentate or denticulate.
Prom P. hsvigata (Sohrad.) by its much less polished leaves,
its darker brown colour (never greenish), antical lobe being never
acute, postical entire and proportionally broader, stipules broader
and entire, and by its not having the pungent taste of P. lævigata.
The North American species P. platyphylloidea (Scliweintz.),
whicli lias been confounded with it by some authors, is its nearest
ally, but is of a lighter yellowisli colour, with longer leaves and
relatively smaller lobules and stipules, and with bracts only slightly
dentate. Var. torva (de Not.) Lindb. {Madotheca torva, de Not.
MSS.) is a mucli smaller form with the stem irregularly branched,
and the leaves very closely imbricate and polished.
D escription op P late XXIX.—Fig. 1. Plant natural size.
2. Portion of branch, antical view x 11 (Killarney, Dr. Carrington)-
3. Ditto, postical view x 11 (ditto). 4. Leaf x 11 (ditto). 5, 6,
Leaves x 16 (ditto). 7. Leaf and stipule x 16 (Mangerton, Holt
and Stewart). 8. Leaf x 24 (Prance, Montagne). 9. Lobule of
leaf X 16 (Killarney, Dr. Carrington). 10. Portion of leaf x 290
(ditto). 11, 12. Stipules x 16 (ditto). 13. Bract x 24 (France,
Montagne). 14. Ditto x 11 (Mangerton, Holt and Stewart).
15. Bracteole x 11 (ditto). 16. Ditto x 24 (Prance, Montagne).
17. Perigonial bract x 16 (Oporto, Newton). 18. Ditto, e.xpla-
nate x 16. 19. Perigonial bracteole x 16 (ditto). 20. Antheridium
X 24 (ditto).
3. Porella p la ty p h y lla (Z.), Lindb.
Lichmaatrvm arhoris vitce facie, fo liis minus rotundis. Dill. Hist. Muse. p. .501,
t. 72, f. 32 (1741).
Jungermania platyphylla, L. Sp. pi. ed. 2, 2, p. 1600 (1762) ; Hook. Brit. Jung,
t. 40 (1816).
Madotheca platyphylla, Dum. Oomni. p. I l l (1822).
Porella platyphylla (//.), Lindb, Muse. Scand. p. 8 (1879).
Dioicous, cæspitose, large, in colour yellowish, browmsli or
blackish green. Stems firm, ligneous, opaque, brownish or dull
dark green, imbricate, procumbent or suberect, irregularly pinnate,
oval on cross-section, about 50 cells in circumference, which are
small witli firm dark walls, 2nd and 3rd outer layers with dark
walls, inner cells larger witli hyaline walls, 20 x 16 cells in diam. ;
radiculose, rootlets few, proceeding from the lower portiou of the
stem. Leaves incubous, closely imbricate, hifarious, distichous,
alternate, horizontal, unequally bilobed, antical lobe much the
largest, obliquely ovate or broadly ovate, slightly convex, near the
base more or less concave, margin curvate and undulate, entire,
but usually with a solitary tooth on tlie upper margin near the
middle, apex roturidate-obtuse, slightly deeurved ; postical lobe or
lobule erect or erecto-patent, appressed to antical lobe, slightly
decurrent, subobliquely ovate or oval, apex obtuse or subaoute,
margin recurved, entire, sometimes furnished with one or two
small teeth at the base ; texture opaque, epidermis without gloss,
cells smallisli to medium in size, roundish, walls thin, trigones
very small but distinct. Stipules approximate, appressed to the
stem, deourrent, seroi-rotnnd or oval, margin reflexed, entire.
Female flowers produced on very short lateral branchlets at
riglit angles to the brandies. Bracts somewhat similar to the
leaves but smaller, antical and postical lobes dentate, but the latter
larger in proportion ; bracteole semi-obovate, entire or witli few
small teeth near the base on both sides. Perianth subovate, compressed,
margin involute, composed of a single layer of cells, mouth
truncate, inoiso-serrate. Pistillidia oblong, large, 8-10. Calyptra
splierical, carnose, somewhat firm, near the base several small cells
thick, upper portion composed only of a single layer. Pedicel
very short, thick, 15 large cells in diameter. Capsule only just
protruding from the perianth, pale yellowish-brown, dividing not
quite to the base into 4 valves, whicli are composed of one layer of
cells. Spores smootti, very large, brown. Elaters with about 10
to 12 turns of the spiral, hi-trispiral, mucli narrower than the
spores, and ligliter brown. Androecia on very sliort oval catkinlike
lateral branches ; perigonial bracts 4, 5 pairs, dosely imbricate,
very concave, semi-ovate, bilobed, lobes sometimes subequal, antical
usually largest, margin sliglitly involute, entire ; perigonial brac-
teole ovate, entire or witli few minute teeth near tlie base on both