No. II.] THE BRYOPHYTES OF CONNECTICUT. 1 5 



portion of the capsule wall in the form of a cup. As the 

 spores and elaters become dry, the latter through their 

 elasticity stretch out and separate the spores. In this way the 

 contents of the capsule form a loose cottony mass, which can 

 be easily carried away by the wind. In certain genera the 

 gametophyte develops a special protective organ for the 

 sporophyte outside the calyptra. This is usually in the form 

 of a hollow tube or sheath open at the tip, and may be called 

 a pseudoperianth, to distinguish it from a very similar organ 

 found in many of the leafy Jungermanniales. 



THE JUNGERMANNIALES 

 Both thalloid and leafy forms are here represented. All 

 are characterized by a slight degree of cell differentiation and 

 by a lack of intercellular spaces, even among the green cells. 

 The rhizoids are all essentially alike and agree with the first 

 type described for the Marchantiales. Their only function is 

 that of anchorage, and to perform this more efficiently they 

 frequently become lobed or branched at the extremity. In 

 many of the genera absorption seems to be carried on by all 

 the surface cells. 



With the exception of a very few primitive types which 

 are not known from New England, the sporophyte is practically 

 uniform throughout the entire order. It consists of a distinct 

 foot, a stalk, and a capsule, and it remains enclosed within 

 the calyptra until the spores are mature. The stalk consists 

 of strongly flattened cells arranged in longitudinal rows, and 

 the capsule, as in the Marchantiaceas, contains both spores and 

 elaters. When the spores are ready to be disseminated, the 

 stalk elongates rapidly through the lengthening of its individual 

 cells and thus forces the capsule through the calyptra. The 

 latter is thus irregularly ruptured but continues to enclose the 

 base of the stalk. The capsule now raised on its stalk soon 

 splits its wall, usually into four valves, the lines of dehiscence 

 extending from the apex to or toward the base. The spores 

 are scattered in much the same way as in the Marchantiaceae, 

 although the elaters sometimes play a more active part in their 

 dispersal. The Jungermanniales are also divided into two 

 families, the Metzgeriaceae and the Jungermanniacese, the most 



