1906] Evans, Notes on New England Hepaticae,— IV 37 



gins of these lobes are thickly and irregularly ciliate-dentate, some of 

 the teeth attaining a length of three or four cells. In L. vcntricosa 

 the lobes are indistinct, and the marginal teeth are scattered and usu- 

 ally unicellular. It may be adtled that L. porpliijrolcuca grows on 

 rotten wood and is commonly more or less tinged with red, while L. 

 ventricosa usually grows on the ground or on rocks and is mostly dark 

 green in color. Although reported from so few localities L. porphyro- 

 leuca is probably widely distributed in the mountains of New England. 



4. LoPHOCOLEA HETEROPHYLLA (Schrad.) Dumort. llecueil 

 d'Obs. sur les Jung. 15. 1835. Jungermannia hcternphyUa Schrad. 

 Jour, fur die Bot. 5: 66. 1801. J. crocata DeNot. Mem. Accad. 

 Torino II. 1: 323. /. b, 1^4. 1839. Lophocolea crocata Nees, G. I.. 

 & N. Syn. Hep. 160. 1845. L. Macounii Aust. Proc. Acad. Phila- 

 delphia for 1869: 223. L. minor Aust. Hep. Bor.-Amer. ^Jt. 1873 

 (not Nees). L. Austini Lindb. Acta Soc. Sci. Fenn. 10: 503. 1875. 



Lophocolea heterophylla is one of the most widely distributed of our 

 hepaticae, its range extending across Europe, Asia and North Amer- 

 ica. It is essentially a plant of temperate regions and is not found in 

 the far north nor on high mountains. It is apparently absent also 

 from the tropics, although it has been reported in North America 

 from as far south as I^ouisiana. Wherever it occurs it is likely to be 

 abundant and it is usually one of the first plants which a beginner 

 collects. 



Few species are more variable. Plants growing in the sun appear 

 very different from those in the shade. Plants on rotting wood (the 

 most frequent substratum) tend to be more robust than those growing 

 on the earth. Old plants often show peculiarities which are not to be 

 observed in young plants. In spite of this very wide range of varia- 

 bility it seems impossible to recognize definite groups of individuals 

 within the Hmits of the species as ordinarily understood. In other 

 words L. heteropliylla cannot well be segregated into a group of more 

 elementary species. A single tuft, for example, will often show all 

 gradations between juvenile conditions and those which are associated 

 with maturity. Even a robust individual frequently develops branches 

 which are slender antl poorly developed, and it is not unusual for a 

 stem or branch to retain certain of its juvenile peculiarities until its 

 growth is terminated by the appearance of archcgonia. 



One of the most constant characters of the species is its paroicous 

 inflorescence, although here as in most paroicous plants a purely male 



