Haynes: THE GENUS SPHAEROCARPOS 219 
the name had been appropriated by Bulliard for a genus of Myxo- 
mycetes and by Gmelin for a genus of seed-plants. The Michelian 
genus, however, was soon generally recognized and its acceptance 
has been so universal that no synonyms for it are to be found in 
the literature of the Hepaticae. To attempt at this time to rename 
on account of a possible slight technical flaw a genus so 
adequately established by Micheli (even though overlooked by 
Linnaeus) would seem an act of violence to the spirit, at least, of 
the priority principle. It may be remarked that -os and not -wsis 
the ending of the generic name as used both by Ludwig and by its 
originator Micheli, and that there are the same grounds for adopt- 
ing it asin the case of Symphoricarpos, in which that termination 
has already become familiar. In fact, the retention of the -os end- 
ing, it would appear, has been made mandatory by both the Vienna 
Rules (Art. 57) and the ‘“ American Code” (Part III, Section I) 
SPHAEROCARPOS (Mich.) Ludwig, Def. Gen. PI. 501. 1760.— 
Mich. Nov. Pl. Gen. 4. p/. 3. 1729 
Sphaerocarpus Adanson, Fam. Pl. 2: 14. 1763 
Gametophores thallus-like, dioicous, annual, small, orbicular 
to oblong or cuneate, simple or finally once to several times fur- 
cate, the broad multistratose midrib passing gradually into the 
lateral enfolding or inflexed unistratose lobes, intercalary subapicai 
lobes at length nearly equaling the lateral. Cells of gametophore 
thin-walled, quadrate to long-pentagonal and hexagonal, without 
trigones. Rhizoids hyaline, smooth, thin-walled, numerous. 
Sexual organs thickly aggregated along the midrib of dorsal 
surface of thallus. Antheridial plants minute, scarcely visible to 
the unaided eye, tinged with purple; antheridia oval, short- 
stalked, their involucres flask-shaped. Archegonial involucres 
tubular or clavate to pyriform or subglobose, sessile or long- 
stipitate. Calyptra ruptured early, a portion with shriveled 
archegonium-neck long persisting on the apex of capsule. 
Sporogonium consisting of a globose capsule, an obsolescent 
stalk, and a bulbous foot,* the last often remaining in the thallus 
after the detachment of the capsule. Capsule indehiscent, its wall 
* The brood-bodies or gemmae mentioned by various authors, among whom Bis- 
choff gave the best description with figure, this latter being copied by Pearson, are 
probably to be identified with the bulbous detached basal parts of the es 
which in some species remains in thallus. The “ griinlichen driisenartigen Korper 
mentioned and figured by Sprengel (Anleit. Kennt. Gewachse 318. £78. 1804) are 
perhaps the oil-bodies which occur here and there in the thallus of Sphaerocarpos. 
