286 Transactions. — Botany . 



or lobes horizontal, drooping, scarcely sub-erect, very irregular, 

 of various shapes and sizes, \ inch to 2 inches long, 2 lines 

 broad, mosily ovate-acuminate and linear-ovate, obtuse and 

 emarginate, sometimes stipitate, wavy and rumpled, smooth, 

 shining ; midrib stout, succulent, not clearly defined save at 

 base, with fine, short, brown rootlets on the lower portion ; 

 margins thin, entire ; frond much thicker on each side of the 

 costa, tips often proliferous ; sometimes several small fronds or 

 lobes issue from a kind of fiat rhachis, and then it possesses a 

 somewhat sub-pinnatifid and forked appearance, lobes linear- 

 acuminate ; cells oblong, transverse. Fructification 1-3, from 

 each side of midrib base of frond below. Involucre short, 

 slightly tumid at base, with a few broad, obtuse, lacimate scales, 

 shallow-cup-sbaped, closely adhering, highly cellular, largely 

 laciniate ; laciniaa serrate, decurved. Perianth 3-3£ lines long, 

 greenish with a purple-pink hue below, stout, slightly curved, 

 smooth, shining, finely striate, cylindrical, narrowed and many 

 plicate at apex, mouth laciniate ; lacinia? long, slender, wavy ; 

 cells linear-oblong, barred. Fruit-stalks 1^-lf inches long, 

 stoutish. Capsule \\ lines long, cylindrical, brown-purple, 

 smooth, shining ; valves linear, sub-acute, cohering strongly 

 at tips after bursting ; tips thickened ; cells narrow - linear, 

 thickened at ends. Elaters very numerous and long, twisted, 

 enclosed, (somewhat like those of Lejeunia and Pellia — teste 

 Dumort's figs.,) much implexed and crumpled, brownish, ends 

 sub-acute ; on the capsule bursting, the elaters remain in a 

 largish globular, fluffy ball, covering the whole capsule. Spores 

 orbicular, smooth, brownish-green, centre depressed, edges 

 entire. Male : a few antheridise, sessile on each side of midrib 

 below, under a broad sub-flabellate scale, margin sinuate and 

 seriate, generally opposite in pairs and near the base, but some- 

 times on the stipe and sometimes scattered, 2-8 on a frond. 



Not being satisfied with the comparatively low power of my 

 own microscope, I applied to Dr. Spencer, who has an excellent 

 and powerful compound one, (whicti he has also used so very 

 effectually in describing the fresh- water Alga: of New Zealand. 

 in his papers in past volumes of " Trans. N.Z. Inst.,") and 

 Dr. Spencer has very kindly examined the fruit, etc., of this little 

 plant, and has also sent me the following interesting and copious 

 description, which, with much pleasure, I bring forward here : — 



" The elaters are very beautiful objects, they give one the 

 idea of a double cord twisted into two helices ; with a high 

 power, a distinct but exceedingly fine membrane is seen sur- 

 rounding the loops, not strai lit but following their sinuosities. 

 The spores are circular, edges quite smooth, outline double, 

 with cellular space between the two contours. Elaters, length 

 aV, breadth yaVrr"- Spores, breadth -g^" to ^5"." (Dr. Spencer 

 in lit.) 



