41 

 RICCIA NATANS. 



Cryptogamia Hepatic^. Nat. Ord. Hepatic;e. 



Gen. Char. Capsula substantia frondis immersa, membranacea, in- 

 dehiscens, demum evanescens, stylo protruso terminata, seminibus 

 tuberculatis repleta. 



Riccia nutans ; fronde obovata cordatave dichotome lobata, lobis ro- 



tundatis margine subtusque longe fimbriatis, fimbriis reticulatis 



serrato-dentatis. (Tab. XXII.) 

 Riccia natans. Lhm. Sj/si. Nat. ed. 12. v. 2. p. 708. Smith, Engl. 



Bot. t. 252. Spreng. Syst. Veget. v. 4. p. 236. 

 Riccia capillata. Schmidel Icones. p. 276. t. 74. 

 Lemna dimidiata. Rafinesqiie in Amer. Monthly Magaz. v. 1. {Jide 



Torrey.) 



Hab. In aquis stagnantibus per totam fere Europaeam. — In America 

 Septentrionali capsulas proferens prope Novam Eboracensem. 

 Dr. Torrey. 



Frondes subcongestae aquae superficiei natantes, semiunciam longa?, 

 simplices, nunc obovatae, emarginatae, nunc obcordatae, bis terve 

 dichotome lobatae, lobis rotundatis, planae, carnoso-membranaceffi, 

 intus celluloses, laete virides, reticulatae^ obscure costatae, margine 

 saepe purpurascentes, subtus margineque dense fimbriatac, fimbriis 

 lineari-acuminatis, sub lente reticulatis, membranaceis, dentato- 

 serratis, viridibus vel saepissime purpurascentibus. Capsidce 

 semper in costam sitae, substantia immersae, superne convexae, 

 intus granulis vel seminibus numerosis, minutis, subsphaericis, 

 tuberculatis, nigris repletae. 



The fructification of this (hitherto) supposed species of 

 Riccia has long been a desideratum ; and though the plant 

 has been known for a considerable time to the botanists 

 in Europe, yet no specimens in fruit had been seen by 

 them. At length in 1824 Dr. Torrey, Professor of Natural 

 History at the Military Academy at West Point, New York, 



