1915] Evans,— Notes on New England Hepaticae,— XII 109 
and 40 u in diameter, while those in the material from Middleton, 
Massachusetts, are mostly between 40 u and 46u. The spherical face 
is covered over with a more or less regular reticulum formed by inter- 
secting lamellae about 2 u in height. These lamellae appear pale 
brownish when seen from the surface, dark brown when seen in profile. 
No border is developed at the periphery of the spherical face, but the 
neighboring ridges of the reticulum sometimes give the effect of a 
narrow interrupted border. The meshes of the reticulum are mostly 
8-10 u wide and the spherical face usually measures six or seven 
meshes across. Sometimes the reticulum is irregular or incomplete. 
The three plane faces are not clearly defined, the bounding edges being 
rounded and destitute of distinct longitudinal thickenings. This 
portion of the spore-surface is roughened by low and irregular warts 
and low ridges which never unite to form a reticulum. 
A new South American Fossombronia with elaters similar to those 
of F. cristula was described by Goebel ! three years ago under the name 
F. Luetzelburgiana. It was based on material collected in 1911 by 
Ph. von Luetzelburg in the Serra dos Orgaos, near Rio de Janeiro, 
Brazil. According to its author the elaters measure 40-65 u in length 
and are characterized by annular thickenings with very rare indica- 
tions of spiral thickenings. The spores measure 50 u in length and 
are covered over with a lamellate reticulum. It will be seen at once 
that this species is very close indeed to F. cristula. In fact the only 
essential difference brought out is the dioicous inflorescence, that of 
F. cristula being monoicous (paroicous). Goebel regards the elaters 
of F. Luetzelburgiana as reduced structures and compares them with 
the sterile cells in the capsules of Sphaerocarpos, Riella, and Corsinia, 
in which no thickenings whatever are produced. 
Among northern species the closest ally of F. cristula is F. foveolata 
Lindb. The spores, in fact, are exactly alike in the two species, so 
far as their surface-sculpture is concerned. According to authors 
there is a slight difference in the size of the spores. Underwood? 
states that those of F. cristula are 35-44 u in diameter while those of 
F. foveolata are 42-50 u. Stephani gives measurements of 37 u and 
40 u, respectively. These differences are not constant and, even if 
they were, they would be too slight to deserve much emphasis. With 
the difference in the spore measurements eliminated there is nothing 
1 Flora 108 : 55. f. 14, 1B, $-4. 1912. 
? Bot. Gaz. 21:70. 1896. 
