INTRODUCTION. 1 9 



that opposite and connate leaves (or bracts) are to 

 be seen. The spores are rather large, globose, some- 

 times angular by mutual pressure, almost always 

 rough, tuberculate, or warted. Spruce's interpre- 

 tation of the lower and entire portion of the capsule 

 is, that this fleshy base is the dilated apex of the 

 pedicel, analogous to the apophysis of some mosses. 



The Jungermanniece are claimed to be distinct by 

 the following characters " Female flowers polygyn- 

 ous. Pedicel not at all, or scarcely, dilated at the 

 apex— never into a segment of a sphere, constitu- 

 ting a solid apophysis, nearly half the height of the 

 cavity of the capsule, as in Jubukce. Capsule pro- 

 ducing spores and elaters (the medial ones hori- 

 zontal) on its entire inner surface, four-valved down 

 to the base. Elaters bispiral — only by rare excep- 

 tion one-spiral, deciduous, either along with the 

 bursting of the capsule, or a few of them persisting 

 a little longer." 



Leaves in some genera incubous or transverse, in 

 the great majority they are succubous. Several 

 genera have opposite leaves in every species ; in 

 other genera some species have alternate, others 

 opposite leaves, while in others every known species 

 has alternate leaves. But the leaves of Jubukce are 

 invariably alternate. The leaves of Juugermanuiece 

 vary from broad and round to linear, and even se- 

 taceous, from quite entire to deeply laciniate. Com- 

 plicate leaves are typical in a few genera ; but the 

 feature which prevails throughout Jubukce of a 

 conduplicate-bilobed leaf with the smaller underlube 



C 2 



