Evans : Hepaticae of Puerto Rico 177 





ful. The Synopsis Hepaticarum cites it from the islands of Luzon 

 and Java, and Schiffner also quotes the latter locality. Both of 

 these records, however, are based on old collections. 



The microphyllous branches of A conferta (figure 9) are very 

 characteristic, although they are sometimes scantily developed and 

 may even be absent altogether. The lobes of their leaves are orbic- 

 ular-ovate in outline and average about 0.35 mm. in length; they 

 are suberect or spread obliquely from the axis instead of spread- 

 ing widely as on normal stems and branches. The lobules are 

 nearly spherical and measure only o. 1 5 mm. in diameter, in other 

 respects agreeing with those on typical leaves. The underleaves, 

 except for their small size, present no distinctive peculiarities. 

 Under certain circumstances the lobules are poorly developed even 

 on the stems and leading branches (ficure i 2) and thus give rise to 

 forms which are not always easy to recognize. Usually a careful 

 examination will reveal a few lobules of normal structure scattered 

 among the others, and these will aid in the determination of such 

 anomalous specimens. The characters upon which the varieties 

 Miquclii and Liebmaniana of the Synopsis are based are apparently 

 drawn from imperfectly formed lobules, and the propriety of 

 attempting to maintain them is doubtful. 



In the specimens from Jamaica the lobes of the leaves are 

 usually distinctly ocellate at the base except on poorly developed 

 individuals. In all the South American specimens, however, which 

 the writer has been able to examine, the ocelli are apparently ab- 

 sent. If this difference should prove to be constant it might 

 necessitate the separation of the West Indian plant as a distinct 

 ^™. Unfortunately the South American specimens were all of 

 old collections, and the detection of ocelli in plants of this charac- 

 ter is sometimes very uncertain. Under the circumstances it seems 

 best to include the Jamaican specimens with the others, a course 

 which is advocated also by Stephani. 



A. conferta bears a rather strong superficial resemblance to 

 Leucolejeunea clypeata, the two species agreeing in color and in 

 many of the characters derived from leaf-cells, underleaves, pen- 

 chaetial bracts, and perianths. They differ strikingly however, in 

 the structure of the lobule, and L. clypeata is also distinct 111 its 

 inflorescence, which is normally autoicous, and in its lack of micro- 



species. 



