ON ANOMOCLABA. ] Go 



The postical leaves never bear antheridia in their axils. In the 

 Jun(jermannide<z their origin is plainly posteiior in time to tliat of the 

 lateral leaves, and they have apparently been called into existence to 

 relieve the stem of the task of bearing the radicles and providing 

 them with mucus. The delegation of the rooting apparatus to special 

 branches — the flagella, bearing three rows of radicles — is a still later 

 " invention," confined usually to a few species, but sometimes com- 

 mon to all the species of a genus; and their fortunate possessors 

 have a great advantage in the struggle for place and life. Those 

 accustomed to observe the habits of Hepatics in nature will recall 

 abundant proofs of this. Watch a Bazzania {Mastigohrijum, Svu. 

 Hep.), with its numerous flagella, nearly as stout as those of a Sela- 

 ginella, invading a bed oi Lepidozia or Plagiochila — literally walking 

 over and into it, and finally overlaying and extinguishing it. Our 

 own J ungermannia riparia, Tayl. — well distinguished by its flagella 

 from J. cordifolia. Hook., as Taylor has long since pointed out — has 

 become by their aid far more widely and generally distributed than its 

 larger and more specious ally. The common J. cremdata, Sm., of our 

 moors bears flagella, and is often associated with Nardia scalaris. 

 Schrad., which much resembles it in size and in its round leaves, but is 

 eflagelliferous ; and it is instructive to observe how the former gia- 

 dually encroaches on and at last ousts the latter. iNote, likewise, the be- 

 haviour of Odontoschisma Sphagniio the eflagelliferous Jung, ventricosa, 

 which often enters into uneqxial competition with it. Even the tender 

 little Cephalozia licuspidata is enabled by the possession of flagella to 

 resist drought and other enemies far better than many more robust 

 plants. But why multiply instances of what everyone may observe 

 for himself? I will only add that the flagella of Hepatica), how- 



Jungermannidea:, especially to some of the acuminate- leaved Lejeunem. And I 

 venture to suggest that no speculations on the origin and disposition of the leaves 

 in higher orders of plants can be complete and accurate which are not based on 

 a previous study of the same subject in the Hepaticse. 



To state fully my views on the sexual relations of the Hepaticae would swell 

 this memoir into a treatise. I will only mention here that my excellent friend 

 Dr. Lindberg has lately advocated (Journ. of Linn. Soc, 1872, p. 189j the 

 substitution of the term "colesule," first proposed by Necker in 179o, for 

 "perianth," as commonly employed in this family, and that I can see no 

 adequate reason for it. If I were asked to define "colesule," I could not do \i 

 better or more briefly than as the "perianth of Hepaticas." It is argued that 

 it cannot be analogous to the perianth of Phanerogams, because it is later deve- 

 loped than the sexual organs it encloses ; but the same thing is not infrequent 

 6ven in those plants, the floral envelopes being often very rudimentary at the 

 time the stamens are fully formed and the ovaries ready for fV^rtilisation. 

 Lindley long ago pointed out that " the stamens and pistils have often obtained 

 consistence enough to dispense with protection before the petals are enough deve- 

 loped to defend them'' (Introd., ch. vii.). I have opened a flower-bud of 

 Ranunculus Ficaria in the early spring, and found the outer anthers already dis- 

 charging their pollen, but the petals still so rudimentary that they appeared only 

 as a 9-crenate rim around the base of the stamens. Anyone who has gathered 

 trees largely must know how often the "blossoms" are arrested in their 

 development, and sometimes remain quite obsolete, although the stamens and 

 pistils perform their office, and are followed by fruits ; so that after watching 

 the progress of the flower-buds for months he may be able to secure very few or 

 no perfect flowers : a case analogous to that of our apetnlous Violets and many- 

 other similar ones. 



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