164 ON ANOMOCLAD.V. 



ever much they may resemble the flagella of Selaginellas, are not (like 

 those) mere roots, but are more nearly analogues of the aerial roots of 

 Phanerogams, for they always retain the potentiality of reverting to 

 the condition of leafy branches, which may either (as innovations) 

 continue the growth of the parent plant or start off on a separate 

 existence. 



The mode of branching in the Hepaticse has been too little attended 

 to, but affords important characters, depending chiefly on the inser- 

 tion of the branches, not only on the stem, but with respect to the 

 leaves, to which they are by no mean always axillary, as in Phanero- 

 gams. It is mostly constant to one type in the same genus, and 

 sometimes throughout large groups of genera. We have already seen 

 it distinguishing Ayiomoclada from all its co-ordinates. Among the 

 latter, the fine genus Microptcrygium, of which I havo several new 

 species, has very similar J inflorescence and fruit, but postical (not 

 antical) in origin, like the rooting flagella and the cT catkins ; yet the 

 leafy branches are lateral — exactly axillary to the conduplicate stem- 

 leaves at the fold — whence the pinnate habit characteristic of the 

 genus. In Bazzania the stem divides by repeated eijual forkings in 

 one plane, and is therefore dichotomous ; but the inflorescence of both 

 sexes is postical, as in Micropterygium, from which it is further dis- 

 tinguished by the structure of its leaves. In Lcpidozia the branches 

 (pinnge) are axillary to the normally 4-cleft leaves, but the flowers 

 and flagella to the folioles, i.e., they are postical, as in the pre- 

 ceding genera. This elegant genus divides naturally into three sub- 

 genera, as follows : — 



1. Eulejndozia. Plants monoicous, in depressed tufts, short, pin- 



nately branched, rooting hy postical flagella, more rarely also by 

 attenuated lateral branches. Leaves incubous, cloven to the middle. 

 Perianth thickened, of 2 layers of cells, the mouth slightly toothed 

 or almost entire. — I know only one species, the common Euro- 

 pean L. reptans* 



2. Ptilolepidozia. Plaiits dioicous, densely stratified, tall, plumcvformi- 



pinnate ; lateral branches often attenuated and rooting ; postical 

 flagella none. Leaves inculous, cloven to about the middle. Peri- 

 anth of never less than 2, but most frequently of ^ or ^ layers of cells, 

 the mouth slightly toothed. — Abounds in mountainous regions of 

 the tropics and southern hemisphere. In the Andes grows in 



• I have examined fertile plants of L. reptans from various parts of England, 

 Ireland, and the I'yrenees, and all are monoicous, having slender male amenta 

 on the same plant as the female flowers ; hut the young plants are often uni- 

 sexual. The dioicous '' L. reptans " spoken of hy some authors is possibly distinct. 



Our Kantia Trichnmanis {Calypogeia, Tr. Syn. Hep.) is also certainly monoi- 

 cous, and fruits freely in the Castle- Howard woods in the spring-time. The 

 flowers stand normally 3 together, in the axil of a foliole, thus ( ^ 9 c? ) ; but 

 one or other flower in each triplet is apt to be obsolete, thus obscuring the 

 monoicous character. "We have probably a second species, in bogs and wet 

 places, with dioicous inflorescence, and large, very slightly notched (or even 

 quite entire) folioles ; but I have seen no fertile specimen. — K. arguta, N. et 

 Mont., grows in our old quarries and sandy moors, where I gathered it as 

 long ago as 1842, and wheru it has latelv been refound by Mr. Stabler. (Conf. 

 Lindb. Not. Soc. pro F. et F. Fenn,, p 363 ) 



