Surculi e ith e r e re c t o r pro e iu n b en t, th row in g o u t a few fibrous lyidicles from th e ir base,
an d he re an d th e re from th e whole e x ten t o f th e ir lowe r su rface, ab o u t th e th ick ness
o f common pa ck th re ad , from two to four o r five inches in le n g th , flexuose, now
an d th e n be se t w ith simple ramuli, o r furnished w ith young shoots, which, in th e ir
more adi’anced period o f g row th , resemble divisions o f th e surculus. T h e color
A-aries from^a dull g re e n to a reddish b ro u n . In substance th e surculi a re firm, b u t
flexible, th e cellules ve iy compact.
Leaves from one to two lines in len g th , a lte rna te ly placed in tw o rows on each side of
tlie surculus, often closely aiT-anged towards its e x trem ity ; th e re s t m o re o r less
rem o te : all o f th em a re h orizonta l, liaving th e ends slig h tly recurved, so as to
p re s e n t a convex u p p e r sui-face ; th e ir base is semiamplexicaul, th e low e r m a rg in very
d e cu rren t : in shape th e leaves a re obovate ap proa ching to ro u n d , th e ir mai-gins
e ith e r e n tire (f. 4 ) , slightly d e n ta te (f. 3 ) , o r, as is m o st freq u en tly th e case,
denta to-c ilia te (f. 5 ), and this in so s trik in g a m a n n e r as to b e o ften visible to th e
naked eye, T lie color is a dull yellowish gre en. T h e reticulation small in p ro p o ilio n
to th e size o f th e le a f, formed o f roundish cellules.
Perigonial leaves te n o r twelve in n um b e r (f. f. 3. and 6 ), closely im b ric a ted on each
side o f th e surculus and en tire ly su rro u n d in g it , roundish, concave, ventricose a t th e
b a s e ; th e m a rg in s more o r less denta to -c ilia te , some o f th em a little recurved.
Perichætial leaves exactly re sem b lin g th e cauline ones, only th a t th e y have th e ir la te ra l
ma rgins more re curved and o ften rev o lu te : th e y a re , too, e rect.
M a le f r u c t i f ic a t io n in th e axillæ o f th e perigonial leaves, and sometimes situ a ted , also, in
various p a rts o f th e surculus, b u t m o st frequently occupying th e ex trem ity . T h e Anthers
(f. f. 13. 14) a re in c luste rs o f from tw o to fo u r o r five: th e y a re ovate, w h e n p e rfe c t o f
a greyish color. I have seen th e apex open, whence th e pollen has b e en discha rged, leaving
th e cutic le white , pellucid an d re ticu la ted . T h e filament is a b o u t h a lf th e le n g th o f th e
a n th e r, white , tra n sp a re n t, transve rse ly striated.
F em a l e f r u c t i f ic a t io n te rm in a l upon th e surculi and shoots. Occasionally, to o , la te ra l, or,
perhaps, only a p p e a rin g so in consequence o f th e p ro duc tion o f a shoot immedia te ly beneath
i t ( f .2).
Calyx (f. 7 ) from tw o to th re e lines in le n g th , generally le an in g o n one side, so as to
b e somewhat scymitar-shaped. T h e base is a lmost cylindrical, th e m o u th tru n c a te ,
I'eiy m uch compressed (except w hen forced a p a rt by th e capsule a n d peduncle) : th e
op en in g extends a little way down on one side o f th e calyx, whe re , as we ll as on
th e whole o f th e u p p e r m a rg in , i t is d enta to-c ilia te . In color a n d texture th e calyx
exactly resembles th e leaves.
Calyptra (f. 8) obovate, o r r a th e r p yriform, tip p ed w ith a s h o rt style, o f a delicate
te x tu r e , s trongly re ticu la ted a t th e base : i t is surro u n d ed by n um e ro u s barren pistilla,
each o f which is line a ri-lanc eola te , lo n g itudina lly a n d tran sv e rse ly s tr ia te d ; th e
m outh is open a n d a little expanded.
Peduncle from a n inch and a ha lf to tw o inches long, w h ite , shining, loosely cellulose.
I t is inse rted in to th e recepta c le h y means o f a fibrous bu lb ( f 10), o f a n obconical
shape, which is with ease drawn o u t a long w ith th e peduncle. A sim ila r c lu ste r
observes th a t Schmidel’s figure o f J . hicuspidata, LJiss. Jung. f . 16. a e cuia te ly expresses the
h ab it and s itua tion o f th e leaves o f J. byssacea, an d th a t he should c ertainly have quotcfl it as
a synonym, were i t n o t fo r th e gemmiferous globule b e in g th e re repre sented as situated
upon th e extrem ity o f th e n aked stem, while in th e p re sen t species it is immersed in tu fts
(rosulæ) n f leaves. To me, however, i t appears tlia t Schmidel’s figure ju s t alluded to was
in tended for th e t in e hicuspidata, an d th o u g h I have quoted, doubtingly, fig. 2. t. 62. 20.
o f th a t a u th o r’s leones as th e gemmiferous p lan t o f J . byssacea, I have much more reason
to th in k i t was really in tended fo r this species th a n th e figure in his Disserlatio referred
to above. “ Mihi o c c u rrem n t (h e says) in te r plantillas masculinas e t femíneas ñorcntes
h ujus Ju n g e rm an n iæ ( J . exsectæ), m inutissimæ p lantulæ globuliferæ alius Ju nge rm anniæ,
cujus folia brevia, e t obtusius bisecta f u e ru n t; adjeci ig itu r ea huie tab u læ , sed videntui-
pe rtin c re ad Ju n g e rm an n iam istam m inim am quam t . 64. f. 2. p ic tam exhibeo. ’’ This reference
to f. 2. t . 64. is a s till fai-ther induc ement fo r me to consider th e p lan t ju s t mentioned
as belo n g in g to R o th ’s byssacea: for a lthough Schmidel was o f opinion th a t th e one referred
to was probably a v a rie ty o f his J . bicrenata, (J. infiata. Huds.) an d n o tw ith s tan d in g some
o f th e lower leaves o f th e figure more nearly resemble those o f J . excisa, y e t th e different
shape o f th e calyx in th e former o f the se Ju n g e rm an n iæ , and th e generally simple mode o f
g row th o f th e la tte r , forbid th e ir b e in g u n ite d w ith it, I t is surely n o t di-awn with th e
accustomed accuracy and minutene ss o f th e a u th o r o f th e leones Plantarum, and leaves me
so fa r u n c e rta in as to its id en tity , th a t I have n o t v entured upon th e name o f bifida, which
Sclu-eber, th e ed ito r o f th e th ird fasciculus, ha s, in a n o te , proposed should be given to it *.
W ith re g a rd to th e situ a tio n o f th e Gemmæ upo n J . byssacea, i t m ig h t n a tu ra lly be
expected, from its close affinity w ith J . hicuspidata, th a t th ey would be found produced in
similar spherical c lusters and in th e same s itu a tio n as in th a t species. Such, too, appears
to be th e case from Schmidel’s figure, so th a t in all probability wh a t Roth has found in
th e clusters o f te rm in a l leaves and looked upo n as analogous to th e gemmæ in J . hicuspidata,
a re re a l an th e rs , such as a re noticed by Dr. Sm ith in English Botany.
Allied as this species certainly is to J . hicuspidata, and slig h tly as i t may appe a r to be
d istinguished from i t in th e specific chai'acter, y e t i t will be found to differ remarkably
in its m in u te size, in th e remote situ a tio n o f ,th e leaves, in th e shortness o f these in prop
o rtio n to th e diam e te r o f th e surculus, in th e deeper an d broivner color o f th e whole p lant,
and more pai'ticularly in th e calyces be ing always te rm in a l u pon th e surculi, an d in th e ir
b e in g surro u n d ed a t th e base by perichætial leaves, which a re less deeply divided, and which
have segments never, th a t I have be en able to discover, in th e le a st recurved.
In th e ir places o f g row th a difference may be rem a rk ed ; for, while J . hicuspidata affects
m oist and shady banks o r th e boggy p a rts o f heatlis, J . byssacea is m o st commonly m e t ivith
on open and exposed situa tions, in d iy foot-paths, and even forming, upo n sand-hills, blackish
pa tche s, visible a t some distance from th e d a rk g re e n o f th e surculi an d foliage.
* Since the above has been printed I have been favored by Mr. Lyell with a new British species of Jungermannia,
which agrees in more particulars with the plant figured in Schmidel, t. 62. 20. f. 2. and t. 64. f. 2. than
J . byssacea, and which I have very great reason to suppose is the same.
RE FE R EN C E S