ill
or biinniiate (f. f. 1. 3. 5. 6 ) , in which case, th e jiinnæ are distantly placed, alte rna te ,
jia ten t or i.orizonlal, beset \s ith less remote pinnulæ, which are again n ot unfrequently
furnished with otlier still smaller ones : all the se a t th e apex are obtuse, and somewhat
ililatcd, rarely emarginate. T h e substance o f tlie jilant is carnose, succulent, exte rna lly
appe a ring reticulateii, b u t within evidently composed o f many cellules, which, in the
thicke r indiiidua ls, cau.se it to appear opaque wlien held aga in st the l ig h t; th e th in n e r
ones iire more pellucid. Tlie color is a pale gre en, more o r less in c lin in g to yellow, and
even brown, a fte r having been lo n g dried.
M a l e F r i t c t i f i c a t io x ( f . 8 ) situated in p rom in en t tubercles, a rising from various p a rts o f th e
frond. In each o f these, th e re are four or five A nthers (f. 9) imbedded within the cellular
substance, o f a nearly spbeiical figaire, sometimes inc lin in g to ovate, reticulated ex te rn a lly ;
within having a g re jish gramiLited pollen, a round which a jiellucid border o r limbus is often
visible ( f 10). The/oori/oWcs arc white, and transveraely striated.
F e m a l e F r u c t i f i c a t i o n (f. f. G. 7- 16. 1") always arising from immediately beneath th e ma rgin,
ne?'er te rm in a l, n o r by any means confined to the base o f the p lan t, as some authors hai'e considered
it to be.
Cahjx (f. 17) very short, someivhat hemispherical, having, liowei-er, its base slightly a t ten
u a ted , its m outh expanded, and cu t in to numerous short, b u t unequa l, sharp laciniæ,
which give it a beautifully fimbriated appearance. In color i t resembles th e fioml, and
in lexture likewise, except th a t i t is th in n e r, and the cellules, a t th e extrem ity o f the
laciniæ, fo n n a simple series, like th e jo in ts o f a Conferm.
Pistilla ( f 17) five o r six in each calyx, o f a pale, greyish color, s tria ted longitudinally
and transveraely, th e ir figure ovato-oblong, with th e mouth slightly expanded. After
imjiregnation, one o f th em rises e rect, o r a t most with a little curve a t its base, to the
h e ig h t o f a line, or even more : then becoming the
Calyptra, oblong, o f a nearly cylindrical figure, widening, however, a little , b u t g r a dually,
towards th e extremity; its base filling th e whole calyx, which is closely a p pressed
to i t : its apex is often te rmina ted by a very sh o rt and tu b u la r style, b u t more
frequently nothing is th e re observable b u t th e m in u te tubercles which cover every othe r
p a rt of th e calyptra, and form one o f th e m o st s trik in g ch aracters o f th e species. The
whole is o f a yellowish white color, th e texture thick, fleshy, cellulose. At th e apex, it
b u rs ts w ith a small and jag g ed opening, for th e emission o f th e capsule.
Peduncle nearly an inch in len g th , white, cellulose, n o t unfrequently twisted.
Capsule la rge , oblong, brown, s tria ted longitudinally and transvci’sely, dividing, a t lengtli,
in to four equal lincari-Ianceolate segments o r I’alves, and discharging the
Seeds, which are spherical, and fulvous. T h e spiral fdamenls ai e o f th e same color, composed
o f a single helix (f. 15) ta p e rin g a t each extremity : these a re affixed to the apices
o f th e valves, and there the g re a te r n um be r o f tliem continue to adhere in tiie form of
tnfts o r pencils a fte r th e dispersion o f th e seeds, and till th e capsule itse lf is in a state
o f decay.
Gemmæ (f. f. 18. 19) produced in small loose clusters, beneath an incurved extrem ity o f the
s tem , wlience they are easily detached, and, unde r a microscope, appe a r to be composed
o f a nearly spherical, pellucid, white, and extreme ly th in cuticle, within co nta ining a
mass o f a gre en, minutely gran u la ted substance, which is often collected into three distinct
balls. The indii'iduals, which I have hjthei-to observed tu produce these Gemmæ,
are such as have ne ith e r male nor female fructification.
unequally l.wo-lobed, indicate an affinity with th e family, “ fo liis incequaliCer tnlobis," whilst
th e uppe r ones resemble those in th e division, “ fo ld s æqualitèr bilobis.’’ So th a t, in fact, it
holds an intermediate ra n k ; th o u g h , perhaps, most nearly allied to the former, by th e perichætial
leaves having a g re a te r num b e r o f lobes th an th e re st, which is never th e case w ith th e la tte r.
By means o f an auth en tic specimen, communicated by Dr. Swartz, I am able to add the synonym
o f Schleicher. T h e same friend has also s ent me specimens which he gathered in Sweden.
R E F E R E N C E S T O T H E P L A T E .
FIG.
1 . J . minuta, natural size.
2 . A n individual, magnified ..................................................................................................... ^
3 . Upper p a r t o f the stem and leaves...................................................................................... 4
4. Lower leaves................................................................................................................................... ^
5. A trifid l e a f ................................................................................................................................... ^
6. P e rich stia l l e a f ......................................................................................................................... ^
7 . A young* calyx ................................................................................................. ^
8. The same, dissected longitudinally........................................................................................ 3
• I was not acquainted with the full-grown calyx, till it > 0 late to have it inserted in the plate.
- I n the description of J . cordifolia, second page, 1. 20, for J . minuta, read J . p um ih .