82 KEVUE BRYOLOGIQUE 



' - * 



repeatedly and becoming shrub-like ; axis circular in transverse 

 section, about O.i mm. in diameter ; rhizoids confined to the basal 

 portion of the axis ; wing 3 or 4 mm. in maximum breadth, strong- 

 ly undulate, rounded and falcate at the apex of each branch, 

 tapering towards the base of the plant when (as is rarely the case) 

 the axis is not branched below; cells of wing near axis larger 

 and mostly hexagonal, marginal cells small and mostly cubi- 

 cal ; single rounded brownish oil-bodies present in scattered cells 

 of wing and axis, also In the leaves ; leaves rarely longer than 

 broad, usually cordate or reniforn in outline, one cell thick, crow- 

 ded and overlapping at apex of each branchy on botli sides of the 

 axis, distant and alternate or sometimes opposite further back ; 

 antheridia usually in a single linear series (up to 100 or more) 

 along Die thickened margin of the wing ; mature antheridium el- 

 lipsoid, 0. 4 X 0-^ ^^^m. ; sporogonia numerous (up to 50 on a sin- 

 gle plant), scattered along axis in acropetal succession ; involucre 

 pyriforra, about 2.5 X 1.2 mm., surface smooth, dilated below and 

 tapering above to the narrow apical aperture, the margin of 

 which is fringed with short papillae ; capsule spherical, about 

 0.9 mm. in diameter ; seta about 0.7 mm. long, consisting of a 

 single row of cells; foot bulbous, about 0.25 mm. in diameter; 

 spores dark brown, covered with spines, nearly spherical, average 

 diameter (including spines) 80^, spines mostly about S^ long, 

 tapering to a rounded or sharply pointed end. 



In the accompanying plate, the upper figure represents a male 

 plants the lower figure a female plant* Both figures are magnified 

 about 4 diameters. 



A notable feature in /?. capensis is the tendency to profuse bran- 

 ching, which gives llie plant a spreading and shrub-like habit. The 

 branching is irregularly dichotomous ; the individual branches 

 usually remain relatively short, and the whole plant seldom rea- 

 ches a greater height than about 2.3 cm. In no case does the basal 

 porlion of the plant consist ot the bare cylindrical axis, as is com- 

 monly found in other species of Jtiella ; in /?. capensis^ the wing 

 begins at the extreme base of the plant, and in almost every case 

 the axis is forked at this point, being V-shaped, as in the plants 

 shown in the Plate. 



At first sight the wing appears to wind spirally round tlie axis, 

 but closer examination shows that it is inserted entirely on one 

 side of the axis, llie morphologically dorsal side. The spiral 

 appearance is of course due simply to the zigzag folding of the 

 wing. Leilgeb(l) states that in IL helicophyUa the lowest portion 



* 



(1) Leilgeb, Untersuchungen uber die Lebermoose, Heft iv., p. 77; Taf. 7, 

 Fig. 12. 



