Ob s . Fi-uctification, b o th male and f em a le , is produced p lentifully in th e sp rin g and early
sum m e r months, i f th e weather prove moist. Gemmiferous p lants a re equally common
th ro u g h o u t th e summer.
P la n t , for th e most p a r t grow in g in la rg e and densely-crowded tu fts , covering a surface o f
g ro u n d six o r seven inches in d iame te r ; a t o th e r times shooting u p among Mosses, and
various species o f Ju n g e rm an n iæ , in a m ore loose and s tra g g lin g manne r.
Tiie Roots, in gene ra l, origina te from th e lower p a r t o f th e p lan t, a n d consist o f m inute
fibrous, pellucid, simple radicles.
Stems e re c t, from a n inch to an inch and a h a lf or two inches in len g th , simple, o r once
or twice divided in a dichotomous man n e r, an d o ften producing innovations ; they are
flexuose and filiform, o f a pale yellowish-brown color, approaching to a red.
Leaves hilarious and distichous, more o r less closely placed, in th e ir lower p a r t amplexicaul
an d slightly de cu rren t, divided from th e exti-emity to w ith in one th ird o f th e base,
in to two unequally-sized, conduplicate, appressed, vertical lobes, o f which th e inferior
is th e la rg e s t, an d is ha lf a line o r more in lengtli, oblong, a cu te , plane, and a little
curved on one side, so as to be somewhat scymitai'-shaped ; th e superior lobe, o r lobule,
difTevs from th e one ju s t described, in b e in g only ab o u t ha lf its size, and o f a n oblongo-
ovate figure, acute , and by no means scymitar-shaped : it is closely appressed, in a
diagonal direction, to th e in n e r side o f th e la rg e r lobe ; bo th ai-e se rra ted a t th e point,
th o u g h th e lobule is so in a slig h te r degree th a n th e lobe. Tlie texture o f th e le a f
is o f two kinds, th e g re a te r p a r t b e in g composed of ovate cellules, form ing a veiy
evident, th o u g h m in u te , so rt o f re ticu la tio n ; wliilst from th e c e n tra l base arises a
{lellucid m a rk , which, bran ch in g off a t th e division o f th e leaf, forms th e le tte r V (f. 9 ),
and disappears a little below th e p o in t o f th e lobes. In this mai'k th e cellules are
seen to be exti-emely naiTOw, cylindrical tu b e s , very much lo n g e r th an those o f th e
circumference o f th e leaf. T h e color is sometimes a deep, b u t more frequently a pale,
yellowish gre en, w ith a brownish tin g e in those leaves which a re n e a re st th e extrem ity
o f th e p lant, and which th u s appe a r as i f scorched with he a t. When dry th e color is
universally pa le r, and a fte r h aving be en lo n g k e p t in th e he rb a rium , becomes almost
white.
Perigonial leaves (f. 10) more crowded th a n th e re s t, and s itua ted upo n a swollen p a rt
o f th e stem (f. 6); th ey resemble th e cauline leaves, except in h aving a ventricose base,
where th e anthe rs are placed, and th e apex is n o t unfi’equently m u ch recuived.
'I'lie Pericheetial leaves a re la rge , and w ith th e ir base entire ly she a th tlie lower p a r t o f the
cjilyx; th e ir lobes, too, are re cu næ d a t th e apices.
M a l e F a u c T iriC A T ioN (f. f. 6. 1 0 . 11) I have seen upon th e same p la n t w ith th e female, as
well as upon different individuals. T h e anthers a re placed in cluste is of th re e o r foui- in the
axillæ o f each p e rig o n ia l leaf, and a re ovate approaching to rou n d , strongly re ticu la ted in th e
older ones, whilst in th e younger anthera this appearance is scai'cely perceptible ; th e ir color is
■ an olive-green before th e emission o f th e pollen, after\vards white and pellucid, T h e footstalks
are ab o u t th e len g th o f th e a n th e r, white, jo in ted .
F em a l e FaocTiriCATioN terminal.
Calyx a line in len g th , ovate, .ra th e r a tten u a ted a t Üie base, towards th e extremity
longitudinally p lic a te ; th e mouth confracted and toothetl. T h e reticulation is th ro u g h o u t
formed o f m in u te , somewhat ovate, cellules : th e color is a yellowish green.
Calyptra ovate, re ticu la ted , w hitish, tip p ed w ith a sh o rt, hollow style, and surrounded
a t th e base by a few sh o rt barren pistilla , which are a little swollen below, and are,
th ro u g h o u t, bo th longitudinally an d transveraely marked w ith d a rk e r lines.
Peduncle thi-ee q u a rte rs o f a n inch in len g th , w h ite , pellucid, shining, cellulose.
Capsule ovate, reddish-brown.
Seeds sp h e ric a l; spiral filaments composed o f a double h e lix : both o f a .fulvous color.
T h e Var. fi. grows in d is tan t and s tia g g lin g p atches; th e stems, instead o f b e in g e rect, as is usual
w ith th e jilant, ai-e procumbent, and tiii-ow o u t a few radicles he re and th e re from nearly the
w hole len g th of th e ir un d e r side.
T h e Leaves are ncarlv e re c t, an d th e whole p lan t is o f a dull, yellowish-red color.
Gemmæ a rc produced upon th e extrem ity o f th e te rm in a l leaves, .th ere lying in small
sc a tte red clusters, which a re very soon dispersed. .Each pa rtic le is somewhat spherical,
w ith many acute proje c tions o r angles, o f a pale yellow color an d s emi-transpa rent.
O f th e Jungermanniæ exstipulatæ, which have th e ir leave.s divided into two unequal and
conduplicate lobe.s, four species * have be en already described, according in g ene ra l liabit, as
well as in th e pe culia r shape o f th e calyx, which is compressed, incurved, and tru n c a te a t th e
extrem ity. T h e re is still an o th e r smaU family o f th e “ Jungermanniæ exstipulatæ, fo liis inæqualiter
bilobis," which, th o u g h corresponding in many respects w ith th e species ju s t alluded to,
nevertheless a re found to dilFer from th em essentially in th e figure o f th e caly.x : for in these it
is cylindrical, e re c t, and plicate, and its m o u th is contra c ted and denta ted. Of such, I can
m ention, w ith c e rta in ty , one species alone, th e sub je c t o f th e p re sent description, which has
fallen u n d e r th e obseivation o f preceding writei-s: b u t two others, which 1 have named
J . obtusifolia an d J . Dicksoni, have lately been added to th e British list, and will soon make
th e ir appearance in this work. From them , J . albicans may be readily enough distinguished,
by its m u ch la rg e r size, as well as by two marks still more decisive; one o f w hich is to be found
in th e s e rra ture s o f th e leaves; th e o th e r in th e pellucid, forked neive. wliich, orig in a tin g in th e
base o f th e leaf, occupies th e c entre o f both lobes, and vanishes a little below th e ir points. T h e
différence in th e shape and size o f th e cellules, which is th e cause o f this appearance, is, as fa r as
I have hud th e opp o rtu n ity o f obsei-ving, peculiar to th is species o f th e genus, and, a lthough very
. e vident, and observable even with th e naked eye, i t has not, th a t I am aware, been noticed by
any author, except Weis, who well rema rks o f th e leaves, th a t “ pe r lentem nervo quasi divisa
su n t e t s e rn ila la .”
A c e lebrated F rench Botanist, M. Palisot Bcauvoi.s, has n ot only endeavored to controvei't th e
Hedwigian system with rega rd to th e sexual organs in mosses, b u t in th e ord e r Ucpalicæ,
* J . nemorosa, J . undulata, J . resupinata, and J . umlr.osa.