Hab. In woods, on liedge-banks, and am ong rocks.— fi, o n tlie Scotch mountains abundant,
chiefly in much exposed and very moist situ a tio n s .— Rivulets and bogs on th e
mounta ins o f N o rth Wales. Mr. Griffith.—Mountains n e a r Bantry, iV/iss Hutchins.—
About Keswick. Mr. Lyell.— y was found by th e Rev. R. B. Francis, in Wales.—
S grows, in te rm ixed w ith a, in woods and he a thy places,—At Edgefield. Rev. R . B.
Francis.—Woods neai- Norwich.
Obs. T h e fructification is observable d a rin g tlie g ie a te r p a r t o f th e summe r months,
among th e mountains.
J*LAN-T g rowing for th e most p a r t in dense ly-ma tted tu fts , o f two or thi-ee inclies in diameter.
Root, a few m in u te pellucid fibres, proceeding in bundles from th e lowei- p a r t o f th e stem.
Stems e rect, va rying from one to thre e , o r even four inches in len g th , ab o u t th e te n th o f
a line in d iameter, generally o f a d irty brown color, b u t sometimes a yellowish red, and
occasionally in w e t s itua tions be coming q u ite black, twice o r th ric e divided in an
irregula rly dichotomous m a n n e r ; besides which, they also produce innovations, which
a re, like th e p a re n t branches, flexuose and filifoi-m.
Leaves (f. f, 5. 6. 7) bifarious a n d distichous, ra th e r loosely imbric a ted, p a te n t, th e ir
ma rgins s trongly d en ta to -c ilia te ; a t th e base o f th e p la n t th ey are th e smallest, being
th e re scarcely h a lf a line in len g th , b u t they grad u a lly increase in size as th ey approach
th e ex trem ity , where th ey a re nearly one line lo n g ; th ey a re semi-amplexicaul,
decun-ent, divided to w ithin one th ird o f th e base in to two unequa l conduplicate lobe s*,
o f which th e superficies is pa ra lle l w ith th e stem, and, consequently, ve rtic a l with
reg a rd to th e horizon ; th e lower one is twice th e size o f th e uppe r, obovate, more
o r less acute , slightly convex above, and appressed to th e u n d e r side o f th e stem ;
th e u p p e r lobe o r lobulus is subcordate, obtuse, a little convex, w ith its base embracing
th e stem, so as en tire ly to conceal i t in those pa rts whei-e th e leaves are a t all
c rowded; th e ir texture is delicate; th e cellules (f, 5) compact, vei-y m in u te , ro u n d ish ;
th e color a pale yellow gre en, more o r less in c lin in g to brown ; in fi, a deep purple,
Perigonial leaves closely imbricated, an d much resembling th e cauline ones, exc ept th a t
th e ir base is more ventricose, and th e ir apices always recurved.
The pericheetial leaves differ from th e re st only in b e in g o f a la rg e r siz e , a n d in having th e
ma rgins frequently recurved.
M a le F r u c t if ic a t io n . Anthers (f. f, 9. 10. 11) s itu a ted in th e axillæ o f th e perigonial leaves,
o v a te o r roundish, when pe rfe c t o f a n olive -gre en color, b u t ap p e a rin g , a fte r th e discharge o f
th e pollen, a pellucid, reticula ted, extreme ly delicate membrane . Each is situ a ted on a
tj-ansparent, transversely s tria ted footstalk, which scarcely exceeds th e a n th e r in lengtli. In
* h was my intention to have adopted the term auricle for the upper and generally lesser division of the leaves, in
this species and its affinities, in compliance with the Linnæan terminology. So little, however, does this part differ, in
one or two of the species, from the lower lobe, that it appears to me I shall render my descriptions more simple and
inteUigiblc, by considering the leaves in question as divided into two lobes, which are either equal in size or unequal.
In the latter case, the larger one may be termed lobus, and the smaller, lobulus, as suggested by Dr. Smith in English
Botany, p. 22.31. The word auricle, might, I think, with more propriety, be confined to those lesser divisions of
the leaves of Jungermanniæ, which, in every part of the plant, essentially differ, in figure and size, from the larger
division ; remarkable instances of which may be seen in J . Hulchinsia, J . Tamarisci, and J . diluíala. Yet, even in
the species of this very natural division of the family, the auricles of the perichætial anti of the young terminal leaves
sometimes form an exception to this rule.
th e a x ilte o f th e perigonial leaves, also, and in te rm ia ed w ith the anthers, a re fjwiuently seen
jo in ted , simple o r slightly branched filaments ( f .f . U . 12) ; b u t w h e th e r t h e , belong to th e
fmctification, or are to be considered as some parasite (perhaps a Conferva), I am unahie
to determine. I have found them on B ritish specimens, as well as on othei-s, whicl, I have
received from Sweden. Had I n o t seen, in some o f th em , small branches, I .should have
supposed they hail been abortive footstalks ; for th e ir s tru c tu re , in o th e r respects, seems to be
exactly th e same.
F em a l e F r u c t if ic a t io n te rm in a l upo n th e stems and branches.
Calgr (f. 4 ) ab o u t a line and a h a lf lo n g ; a t its base na rrow and cylindrical, b u t thence
graduafiy inc re a sing in width towards th e extremity, which is h a lf a line in diameter;
i t is rema rkably incurved in its early s ta te , b u t becomes e r e c t when th e capsule is
p ro tru d ed . T h e m outh is In in c a te and dentato-ciliate. In color and lea u r e it resembles
th e leaves.
Calyplra (£ 13) a white , th in , delicate membrane, o f a pyriform figure, marked witli
ra th e r la rg e r e ticu la tio n s ; th e style is sh o rt and tub u la r. Of abortioe pistilla ( t 14)
th e re a re a few a t th e base o f th e calyptra, line a r, greyish, longitndinally and
transversely stria ted , th e ir mouth slightly dilated.
Pedunote sh o rt, scarcely exceeding twice th e len g th o t th e calyx, white, cellulose,
shining.
Capsule oblongo-ovate, deep p u rplish b rown, opening into four equal, lanceolate valves,
which on th e ir o u te r surfece a re longitudinafiy and transversely furrowed.
Seeds and spiral filaments {£ 15) numerous, o f a deep fulvous co lo r; th e former exactly
sp h e ric a l; th e la tte r composed o f a double h e lii, o t a g re a te r len g th th an is tisual in
th e genus.
Cemmee (f. 7) a re n o t imcoinmon on tliis p lan t, in th e m onth o f July, forming n compact
g ran u la ted w a rt o r tulje rc ie , a t th e extrem ity o t both tlie lobes o f th e leaves which are
s itu a ted a t th e apex o f th e stem s ; a t first, they are gre en ; in a more advanced period,
b rown ; an d a t len g th almost black, in which s ta te th e particles, o f which they are
composed, m ore readily sepa ra te , and a re seen, u n d e r a hig h power o t th e microscope,
to be oblong, pellucid, an d by no means angulat-.
Far. ¡3 (t. 16) scarcely differs from a , b u t in th e deep pnrple color o f the whole plant. In both
kinds th e figure o f th e le a f is su b je c t to some slight va ria tion, from obovate to rotnndo-obovate.
T h e lobules, in th e lower p a r t o t th e p lan t, appe a r occasionally to have th e te e th nearly obsolete.
T h e Far. y has a crisped and ine leg an t appearance, from th e circumstance o f th e lobes and
lobules o f th e leaves b e in g by no means conduplicate, b u t irreg u la rly benl back as is
repre sented a t (f, £ I. and 8). The color, too, is more in c lin in g to a yellowash-brown.
Far. !. ( t t. 17. IS) approaches, in th e figure o f its leaves, Jungermannia umbrosa, b u t may be
distinguished by th e g r e a te r proportiona l len g th and slenderness o f th e plant, in liaving i t ,
leaves more d is tantly placed, an d in these b e ing to r th e most p a rt q uite entire a t th e margins
T h e uppe r leaves, indeed, a re slightly denta ted. I t is an extreme ly m inute variety, scarcelv
a tta in in g to half an inch in len g th , and is always found intermixed with a , Tlie color o f th e
Stem an d leaves is a vei-y pale yellowisli-gi-een.