JUNGERMANNIA trichomanis.
Fern Jungermannia.
CRYPTOGAMIA HepcUicce.
Gen. Char. Male flowers sessile.
Capsule on a stalk rising from a sheath, of 4 valves.
Seeds attached to elastic filaments.
S p e c . C h a r . Shoots creeping, somewhat branched.
Leaves in two rows, auricled, ovate, entire or
cloven. Sheaths lateral, pendulous, hairy.
S y n . Jungermannia trichomanis. L ig h t/. 769. Dicks.
Crypt, fa s c . 3. 10. t. 8 . / . 5. Hull. 279.
J. scalaris. W ith . S70.
Mnium trichomanis. Linn. Sp. PI. 1578. Huds. 473.
M. trichomanis facie, foliolis integris. Dill. Muse. 236.
t. 3 1 . / . 5.
(3. Jungermannia fissa. L ig h t/. 770. Hull. 278. Sibth.
310. Ahhot. 255.
J. sphasrocephala. With. S72. Relh. 438.
Mnium fissum. Sp. FI. 1579. Huds. 473.
M. trichomanis facie, foliolis bifidis. D ill. Muse. 237.
t . 3 \ . / . Q . _______________
C o m m o n in moist shady places, where its little powdery
heads of barren flowers are often seen, but the capsules are rarely
observable. Our much respected friend the Rev. R. B. Francis
favoured us with perfect specimens in fruit from near Holt,
in March 1798. The opinion of this gentleman, as well as
of Mr. W. J. Hooker, decides us to unite two species of
Dillenius into one, the leaves being found cloven and entire
even on the same shoot, and the figures 5 and 6 of that author
are not even supposed to differ in any other respect. It
is strange that he should refer these plants to Mnium, and that
Linnaeus should follow him, though Micheli had rightly determined
their genus.
The pale shoots creep over the moist earth by means of
little tufted roots at the base of the auricles which grow in
pairs under each leaf. The leaves are ovate or roundish,
entire at the edge, mostly cloven at the point. Fruilstalks
from little oblong, hairy, black, lateral, pouch-like sheaths,
verv remarkable for being pendulous from the branch, of
which we have some exotic examples. The valves of the
capsule are narrow and acute.