August, 1904. 157 



A NEW HEPATIC. 



BY RKV. H. W. I.ETT, M.A., M.R.I.A. 

 [P1.ATE 2.] 



During a shoit visit in June, 1903, to the Island of Achill, Co. 

 Mayo, with the object of investigating the mosses and 

 hepatics for the Fauna and Flora Committee of the Royal 

 Irish Acadeni}', I found a hepatic which was quite new to me, 

 and I sent it to Professor Douin, of Chartres, who described 

 it in the Revue Bryologique for May, 1904. The following is a 

 translation of his description: — 



Adelanthus dugrortiensis, Douin and H. W. Lett, sp. w^z/.— Plant 

 dioicous (?), of a brownish -yellow colour. Stem 10-50 mm. long, branched 

 (fig. i), branches rising laterally before the stem, which also afterwards 

 lengthens [or sends out a shoot— H.W.L.] at the apex; when dry the 

 tops of the branches are incurved like a bishop's crozier, this is also 

 sometimes the case when the plant is in a moist condition. In a 

 transverse section the stem is elliptic (fig. 15), having a distinct border 

 of three to five rows of coloured cells with thick walls, the cells of the 

 middle being hyaline and thin-walled. 



Leaves elliptic in shape, I'l — 075 mm. long at the ends of the chief 

 branches, much smaller towards the base of the shoot (fig. 4). 

 I In the normal form (fig. 2), the leaves are arranged erect on either side 

 against the stem, which thus lies between them, as in Alicularia compressa 

 Q.n(\ Jamesomella Carringtoni, their ends being turned forwards to the front 

 [they are homomallous — H. W. L.] 



In the topmost leaves the back margin is entire and strongly reflexed, 

 along (figs. 3, 5, and 7) to its insertion (fig. 2) in the stem, where it very 

 distinctly embraces the stem (fig. 15). 



In the leaves on the lower part, the back margin is much less distinctly 

 volute. The end and front margin are flat and toothed (except near the 

 insertion, where the margin is entire); these teeth are small and consist 

 each of one projecting cell. The cells of the margin of the leaf have 

 very distinct walls (fig. 9), and are clearly marked by lines into polygonal 

 shapes; they are 16-30 /t in diameter. With regard to the other cells 

 (figs. 10, II, and 12), their walls are indistinct where they touch each 

 other, and there remains little but the inside shape showing that they 

 were wider and separated by very thick walls. At the base and in the 

 middle portion of the leaf (fig. 12) he cells are much elongated, 15-20 fi 

 wide and 40-75 /t long. The epidermis is smooth. 



A 



