73 



NOTES ON SPH^ROCARPUS. 



By Douglas Houghton Campbelij. 



The genus Spli?erocarpus comprises, according to Schiff- 

 ner;^ five closely allied species of which one, S. terresiris var. 

 Cdlifornicns is one of the commonest and most characteristic 

 Californian liverworts. In the vicinity of Stanford University 

 it occurs abundantly upon the ground^ and grows both upon 

 clayey and sandy soil in shady places or less commonly fully 

 exposed to the sun. Owing to the inflated involucre about 

 each of the numerous archegonia, which usually almost en- 

 tirely cover the dorsal surface of the female plant, the latter 

 presents a most characteristic appearance and is not to be 

 mistaken for any other form. The male plants are usually 

 much smaller and less conspicuous. 



During some recent studies on liverworts, the writer has 

 had his attention called to some peculiarities in the growth of 

 this plant which it was thought were of sufficient interest to 

 be noted. These notes are given here, together with others 

 upon the early phases of germination^ which do not seem to 

 have been critically studied, although Leitgeb^ gives a brief 

 account of some of the earlier stages of the germinating 

 plant in the European form of our species. This same 

 author includes Sphserocarpus among the forms treated in 

 his magnificent work upon the liverworts, where the older 

 literature is also cited. The writer ^ has also given an 

 account of our Californian plant in a recent treatise. 



Sphserocarpus is of peculiar interest to the morphologist, 

 as it is on the whole, probably the simplest of all known 

 liverworts, and appears to stand very near the point where 

 the Marchantiaceae and Jungermanniacese diverge, showing 

 unmistakable affinities with both of these groups; hence any 

 further information concerning its development is interesting 



Erythea, Vol. IV., No. 5 [9 May, 1896]. 



1 Engler & Prantl. Die natuerlichen Pflanzenfamilien 91, 92, p. 51. 



2 Leitgeb, Unterauchungeu neber die Lebermoose, IV, p. 73. 



3 Campbell, Structure and Developmeut of the Mosses aud Ferns, p. 74. 



