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JUNGERMANNIA bmceolaja»
Lanceolate yungermannia.
C R T P T O G A M IA Alg*.
G e n . C h a r . Male flowers feflile.
Female on a footftalk rifing from a fheath. Cap/.
with 4 valves. Seeds attached to elaftic filaments.
S p e c . C h a r . Fronds Amply pinnate, lanceolate, flower-
ineOr at the end. Leaves entire.
Syn. Jungermannia lanceolata. Linn.'Sp. Pl. 1 5 9 7 .
Hud/. ^ 1 0 . With. 871. Hull. 277.
Lichenaftrum capitulis nudis, Trichomanis facie,
foliolis denflus eongeftis, minus. Dill, in Rail
Syn. 112.
L. Trichomanis facie minus, ab extremitate florens.
Dill.Mufe. 486. t. jo . f 10.
rV JR EA T elegance of ftructure is often obfervafhle in the minute
and retired productions of the elafs Cryptogamia, and in
none more than the Jungermannia. Thefe humble plants inhabit
the receffes of damp woods, creep over the decaying roots
leaves or Items of larger vegetables, or fill up the interftices of
the grafs under the fhade of rocks or evergreen fhrubs. They
flower in the cold wet months of the winter or early fpring;
afterwards fome, which appear to be annual, entirely decays
others are more or lefs dried up, but revive on the approach of
the leaft moifture; and when wet, many of them diffufe a powerful
aromatic odour, familiar to molt people, m a grove, or on
a fhady grafs-plat, after rain, or while the morning dew is upon
the ground ; yet few perfons are aware of the minute vegetables
to which this fragrance is almoft entirely owing.
The prefent fpecies Was fent us from Holt, Norfolk, by the
Rev. R. B. Francis, who has paid peculiar attention to this
genus. It grows in fmall patches, almoft proftrate; the Items
branching, and taking root in their lower part. The leaves are
alternate, imbricated, Ample, roundifli, entire, often tinged with
purple at their outer edge. The female flower-ftalk terminates-
the branch, growing from a cloven Iheath, which Dillenius-
originally did not confider as fuch, probably from its fhortnefs,
and fimilitude to the leaves. This tender white ftalk terminates
in a black capfule, which fplits into 4 parts as in the other
fpecies-.