base, where they are one or two lines in diameter, tlience gradually widening to th e
extremity, whicli is rounded and obtuse, and th re e o r four lines in w id th : th ey are either
simple, or fiirnislied w ith one o r more large divisions o r segments, (which, in every r e spect,
resemble th e principal p a rt o f tlie frond) and o th e r lesser ones, which give tlie
appearance of a sinuated ma rg in ; th e whole, though plane, o r even a little concave
above, is below so swollen, th a t many individuals are ha lf a line, o r even a line in th ic k ness,
an d are always destitute o f any ne rve ; substance carnose, remarkably succulent,
o paque; ceBuies nume rous, small, and not readily discernible: color more or less o f a
yellow gre en.
M ale F r u c t if ic a t io n (f. f. 4 . 5 . 6 ) situated in th e superior surface o f small m a rg in a l processes
or receptacles, e ig h t o r ten o r more o f whicli occupy th e u p p e r h a lf o f a frond ; each o f these
is simple o r two-lobed, convex beneath (f. 5 ) , plane above (f. f. 6. 7 ) . In th e uppe r and plane
surface, the substance seems to b e o f a paler color, and more closely cellular th an th e rest o f
th e p la n t: the anthers are so deeply imbedded, tliat th e ir apex alone is level witli the superficies,
a nd is visible by means o f a little opening. They are spherical, reticula ted, greyish, situated
upon a very s h o r t /o o i s t a /A b y th e sh rin k in g up o f th e cuticle, a fte r th e discharge o f th e pollen
from th e Anthers, the ape rture s, wliich they previously filled, a re now nearly empty. T h e receptacles
themselves, in all iirobability, a fte r th e ir office is performed, expand in to segments o f
the frond.
F em a l e F r u c t if ic a t io n ( f. f, 1. 2 . 18 . 1 9 ) o r ig in a tin g in %'arious p a r ts o f th e u n d e r s id e o f th e
p la n t , b u t a lw ay s n e a r th e m a i'g iii.
Calyx (f. f. 18. 19) nearly hemispherical, much resembling th a t o f J . mullifiâa, and having
a n expanded m outh and fimbriated m a rg in ; its substance is cellulose, like th a t of
th e frond.
P istilla ( f. f. 19. 2 0 ) s e v e n o r e ig h t in n u m b e r , sm a ll, n e a r ly o v a te , w i th a s om ew h a t
d ila te d m o u th , ja g g e d a n d a li t t l e b e n t b a c k ; th e y a r e o f a g r e y is h color, m a rk e d ,
lo n g itu d in a l ly a n d tr a n s v e r s e ly , w i th d a rk e r lin e s .
Calyptra (f. 10) th re e , o r even four lines long when arrived a t its fu ll size, lineari-oblong,
cylindrical, nearly o f th e same thickness th roughout, s tra it or a little waved and curved
a t the base, obtuse a t th e end, sometimes h aving a s h o r t style. Its texture is succulent,
closely cellulose : its color a very pale greenish yellow, approaching to white.
Peduncle from two to three inches long, whitish, cellulose.
Capsule oblong, red-brown, marked w ith numerous striæ o r furrows, which are connected
by transve rse ones. I t opens into four equal lanceolate valves, which reach to th e base
o f the capsule, and contain a t th e ir apices the
Sp ira l fdamenls in th e form o f tu f ts o r pencils : these are formed o f a simple closely-twisted
helix, a ttenua ted a t each extremity, o f a fulvous color, as are th e seeds, which are,
moreover, spherical and smooth * .
Tlie var. ß ha s a sin g u la r appearance, a t first sight, from th e narrowness o f th e fronds, and more
so, when it is found branched, from th e pinnated disposition o f the segments, Some o f the
smaller individuals a re n o t more th a n eijual to th e calyx in size.
• Schmidel, however, seems to have discovered them to be otherwise. “ Per lentem summè augentem ex croceo
fusea adparcnt, foriiianiquc sphæricaro, aüquantùm irregulärem, superficiemque venis rotundis rsiiculatam offcruni.”
leones, p. 139.
I n th e m r . (3. t h e J . ,in » a (a o f Engl. Botany, I c an p e rc e iv e n o d ifferen c e, e x c e p t t h a t th e fro n d
is som ew h a t w id e r , a n d th e d iv is io n s o r la te r a l s e gm e n t s a r e f r e q n e n t ly , b u t b y n o m e an s
c o n s ta n t ly , so s h o r t t h a t th e m a rg in s a p p o i r f o b e h e re a n d th e r e s in u a te , r a th e r th a n c u t
in to s e gm e n ts .
F o r wan t o t fnictified specimens o f th e J . p a lm ata o f Hoffmann, a p lan t evidently most nearly
allied to J m a ltijiia , 1 am unable to point o nt from my own observation any other mnrks of
distinction by which i t may be known from th e species hefe described, th a n i t , smaller size, ik
more cylindrical shoots, and its disposition to be branched principally a t the base o t th e frond.
Othe r characters, however, wilt be found in th e fractification, as detailed hy Hedwig, whose
remarles on th e Anthers shall he he re transcribed. " Maseulns e c o n tó in dislincth p la n tu k apree,
processunm occupât, plerumque to n e tomidiores spongiosos, vcsieulari ad am b.tnm habrtn. Hrrjus
L medio tran sp a ren t circelli Incidi, in quibus eo ntinentnr follicnfi mascuh pedreellati. A / 1 /
flore dchiscit intume sc entia , deinde planh cadit, truneatos relinquens proc e ssus*.'' And, besides
th e difference in th e male fructification, in th e tem.de th e same author represents th e calyptra as
h aving a small brown covering like th e calyptra o f a moss, which does not exist rn our / a u t .
(see Theoria, tab . 19. f. 96.) J . plnguU is the only other species with winch J . muU.Jida rs hkely
to be confounded, and he re it must be observed, th a t i t is only allied to some o f the narrowest
and m o st branched varieties. T h e former, however, is aiways more tlrick and s u c c u / t , æ plane
on its uppe r surface, and never p resents a reticulated apjiearance ; its size too is m uch la rg e r, and
its calyptra, in every instance, free from tubercles.
T h e th re e Junge rmanniæ ju s t enumerated, belong to th a t division o t the genus, the individuáis
comnosiug which have been called ■■ Aoaaleo,« and differ from all th e re st o f th a t fam.ly, rn
h aving no traces o f a nerve, or perhaps, more porreotly speaking, in being, a lto g e th e r, compose,1
o t nerve or stem, and d e stitu te o t those lateral and more membranous expansions, which have
caused all the re s t o t th e genus to be calleil, in contradistinction to the se , fo l io ,! ; and w hich, even
i l one species o f this v ery section, have a considerable approach to the appearance o t th e leaves m
other plants In J . fu r c a ta th e frond has this membranous expansion continued nninteri uptedly from
th e base to the extrem ity , in J . epiphylla th e ma rg in is here and th e re siightly h.hed, wlulst. rn
J Blaria (B la ,ia pm illa o t Authom) th e lobes are so deep, and so reg n la r. th a t tins spec.es seems
to hold an- intermediate place between th e " Jm g e rm a u u i! Eo lio ,! and the Frondas«." T h a t the
m ore membranous p a rt o f these species is analogous to the leaves in th e oth e rs, w d l be stsll more
appa rent, when i t is observed, th a t n e ithe r r-oots nor male nor female fructificatson are produced
(as far a t least, as nry experience will enable me to spedc) upon it. J . ep.phylla, rn some ol Us
states m a y a p p e a r an exception to this rem a rk ; br.t even the older specimens, when held up to
n ,e lia h t will be seer, to have an obscure, though wide, nerve, whence o rig in a te , on th e upper
s n r t e e bo th th e male and female fructification, and, on the lower surface, th e roots. In yonnger
phmts tire n erve is v e r , conspicuous, a . it is in th e innovations. T h e situation of th e s p . r u / i o a , . / ,
attached to th e c.uls of th e valves o f th e capsule, is. unfortunately, not confined to .1. muU.Jida,
J . palmata, ami J . pingiii.,; to r th e , a re so Ikxed in .J .fu r ca ta , which, in o the r parts o t i t s tru c li-
fication, differs materially from those species.
• Theoria, p. 87. t, 18. f. 94.