n i
brown. Spores sinootb, pale reddish-brown. Elaters bispiral,
from 12 to 20 turns, as wide as the spores and rather darker,
reddish-brown. Androecia situated on the upper surface of the
stem, perigonial bracts but little different from the stem leaves,
antheridia round, pedicel short.
Dim ensions.— Stems 2 to 4 inches long, diameter '35 mm.^
leaves T m m .x 1'3 mm. ; cells 'OG mm. x '04 mm., "08 m m .x
•02 mm., ^07 mm. x ^02 mm., ^05 mm. x ^02 mm. ; stipules '5 mm.
X •SS m m .; p e ria n th mm. long x 2' mm. wide n e a r th e apex;
p istillid ia ^25 mm. x '075 mm. ; pedicel ’5 mm. diameter, capsule
1^75 mm. X !• mm. ; spores •0125 mm.; elaters •! mm. x •0125 mm.
H a b .—Growing in damp shady woods amongst other mosses
and hepatics, or on exposed swampy banks.
1, 2, 5, 7 to 16. I.
Found on the Continent and in Nortli America.
O b s .—This is one of the most beautiful and distinct of our
species ; as it is the only one of the genus found in Britain it is
not to he confounded with any other.
Although generally distributed it is extremely rare in fruit.
The perianth appears to be a continuation of the stem, swollen
and hollowed out, from the base of wbiob proceeds the pedicel.
As the abortive pistillidia are found on the surface at its apex
I consider the calyptra to be wanting ; I have dissected a great
number of perianths, having copious material from North America,
where it fruits more freely, without observing any trace of such
organ, and always finding the abortive pistillidia mixed with the
hair-like processes on the upper surface of the perianth.
D escribtion or P late XL.—Fig. 1, 2. Stems natural size.
3, 4. Portion of leaves x 64 (Switzerland, Jack). 5. Portion of
leaf x 290 (ditto). 6. Stipule x 64 (ditto). 7. Perianth x 11
(Oneida, N. America, Hb. Austin). 8. Cross-section of perianth,
lower half x 16 (ditto). 9. Ditto, upper half x 16 (ditto).
10. Mouth of perianth, explánate x 16 (ditto). 11. Cilia on
epidermis of perianth x 85 (ditto). 12. Pistillidium x 85
(Closter, N. America, Austin). 13. Capsule x 11 (Oneida, Hb.
Austin).
Genus 12. BLEPHAROSTOMA, Bum.
.Tunga-mania, Linn. FI. Suec. (1745).
Jungermania, sect. Blepharostoma, Dum. Syll. Jung. Bur. p. G5 (1831).
Blepharosloma, Dum. Keoueil, p. 18 (1835).
FtUidium, Mitt, in Journ. Linn. Soc. (1861).
Chaetojisis, Mitt, in Journ. Linn. Soo, viii. n. 29, p. 51 (1864).
Plants small, cæspitose, or creeping amongst mosses. Stems
slender, opaque, about 5 cells in diameter, exterior smaller ; radiculose,
subdiohotomously branched ; branches few, long, patulous,
all lateral ; flagella absent. Leaves transverse or slightly incubous,
almost to the base 4-partite ; cura capillaceous, subparallel,
composed of about 12 uniseriate cells; postical a little shorter,
middle rarely bifurcate ; cells medium size, ohlong-quadrate lepto-
dennous, slightly chlorophyllose, almost smooth. Stipules about
half the length of the leaves, 3-orura. Inflorescence paroicous and
dioioou.?, terminal. Bracts ç tristichous, about 3 pairs, those
immediately surrounding the perianth being longer than the
leaves, verticillate, slightly connate, deeply 4-fid (pagina at the
base 4-6 cells high); lobes dichotomous or plurifid, laciniæ filiform.
Exterior bracts less divided ; in paroicous specimens base
turgid and antheridiferous. Perianth projecting, white, cells subelongate,
composed of a single layer of cells, pyriform-cylindrical,
at first distinctly obtusely triplicate, afterwards almost inflated
or terete, apex constricted, trigonous, mouth shortly plurilaciniate.
Calyptra half tlie size of the perianth, slender, oblong,
rupturing into two lips, about 5 sterile pistillidia surrounding its
base. Pedicel elongate, calceolus oboonical. Capsule cylindrical-
oblong, 4-valved, composed of two layer.s of cells. Elaters
bispiral, very obtuse, follicule very delicate, quickly disappearing.
Spores smooth. Perigonial bracts about 8-pairs, equal in size
to the leaves, incurved, 6-partitate, the middle crura 2 or 3
bifurcate, monandrous.