o rdina irement au nombre de q u a tre c t disposés en c ro ix ,” T h e re can be no d o u b t th a t wh a t
th e Abbé lias he re described a re male fructifications, y e t I have neve r myself observed th e anthers
(petits boutons) to be o f a black color, n o r th a t th ey a re “ disposes en croix. ’’ I have n o t yet
be en fo rtu n a te enough to discover th e anthera o f J . spinulosa, b u t, judging- from th e similarity
th a t exists in tlie female fm c tific a tion o f th e two p lan ts , I am induced to suspect th a t they
will be found to corresjiond in th e male also.
T h e bai-ren p lan ts o f some o f th e la rg e r species o f B n jum , as B . punctatum, and, more
especially, th e tra ilin g surculi o f B . cuspidatum, B. ligulatum, and B. rostratum, may occasionally
be confounded w itli this Jungermannia; b u t, besides th e different shape o f th e leaves, th e
nerve in those o f tlie mosses will a t once afford a d istin g u ish in g ch aracter. From Hookeria
lucens, w ith th e l e ^ e s o f which i t h ears a still g r e a te r resemblance, i t may always be known
by th e bifarious, a n d neve r trifa rio u s in s e rtio n o f its leaves, by th e ir ro u n d e r figure, and by
th e ir s tro n g denticulation. T h e Hookeria, too, luis th e cellules, o f w liich tlie le a f is composed,
m uch la rg e r, and o f a more ovate figure th a n J . asplenioides. Lama rck says o f th e p lan t
before u s, th a t i t has some thing th e h a b it o f Hypnum adiantoides (Fissidens H edw ), b u t is
m u ch la rg e r, a n d lias th e leaves o f a ro u n d e r figure ; a n observation th a t will scarcely be
considered as made w ith his usu a l happiness o f remark.
T h e female fmc tific a tion, which in E n g lan d is n o t o f fre q u e n t occurrenc e , in F rance
seems to be s till more ra re , and th e au th o rs o f th e Flore Française observe, th a t th ey have
n ev e r themselves seen it.
U n d e r th is species, Weber, in his Spicilegium Floræ Goettingensis, obsei-ves «V a g in a
ex te rio r c ren a ta . In te r io r ovoidea, in altero latere spinula in fra apicem inserta donata." By
“ spinula in fra a p ic em ," he probably alludes to th e style, wliich, however, I liave always
rem a rk ed to be exactly tei-minal.
R E F E R E N C E S T O T H E P L A T E .
1. Barren p la n t o f J . asplenioides, natural size.
2 . Female p la n t, natural size.
3 . E x tremity o f the surculus o f a male p la n t, magnified ....................................... 4
4 . Portion o f the surculus and leaves ........................................................................... 4
5 . L e a f, seen fr om behind .................................................................................................... 4
6‘. P erigonial le a f ........................................................................................................................ 3
7 . Calyx and pericheetial leaves ...................................................................................... 4
8. Calyptra ............................................................................................................................. 3
y. Barren pistillum ................................................................................................................... 2
1 0 . Lower p a r t o f the peduncle, shewing the fibrous bulb at its base .................. 2
1 1 . Capsule burst, discharging its seeds and spiral filaments ............................... 2
1 2 . Seeds and spiral filaments ...................................................................................... \
1 3 . Anthers (the perigonial le a f being removed to exhibit their insertion) . . 2
1 4 . Single anther ............................................... .................... ^ j