BY DR. B. CARRINGTON AND W. H. PEARSON'. 105& 



DESCRIPTION OF PLATE XXXVI. 



Fig 1. Fronds nat. size. 2. Frond x 16. 3. Portion of upper surface of 

 frond magnified. 4-9. Cross-sections of frond x 16. 



50 RiCCIA ASPRELLA, U. Sp. 



Fronds gregarious, flabellate, punctate, pale frosted green, seg- 

 ments obovate or obcordate, emarginate or bilobed, thin and firmly 

 attached to the ground ; plane but with margins slightly raised 

 near the apex, rounded, fringed with minute scattered cilia. 

 Capsule large. Spores minute, dark-brown, sub- rugose. 



Growing in iri*egular flabellate patches, sometimes overlapping, 

 firmly attached to the ground, small, pale glaucous green, generally 

 concolorous beneath, but the old portion brown or discoloured. 

 Fronds thin, bifurcate, obovate, obcordate or cuneate, segments emar- 

 ginate, plane, of almost equal thickness, margin somewhat raised 

 near apex, roundeol on the upper surface, ciliate, cilia irregularly 

 distributed, two or three rows deep, short, subulate, when fresh 

 the surface is beautifully pitted, the epidermic cells large and thick- 

 walled, with a central umbo like the markings on a thimble, 

 section of nearly equal thickness, inner layer chlorophyllose. 



Rootlets short, frequent. Capsules numerous, spores dark 

 brown, minutely verruculose, about 200 in a capsule. 



Measurements. — Fronds 4- to 5* mm. long; lobes 2*75 mm. 

 broad, "4 to "6 mm. thick ; cilia '3 mm. long, '06 mm. broad at the 

 base, '25 mm. long, -O-SS mm. broad at the base, -2 mm. long, 

 •075 mm. broad at the base, '175 mm. long, '03 mm. broad at the 

 base ; capsule "7 ram. diam. ; spores '01 mm. diam. 



Hab. — On earth, head of Double Bay, Sydney, July, 1885. 



Obs. — Riccia crinita, Tayl., the only other ciliated species re- 

 corded from Australasia, has the margin of a deep purple color, cilia 

 much more numerous, very long and acicular. 



