HANDBOOK OF BRITISH HEPATIC^. 45 



Fragile, yellowish then reddish. Stems I to i^ 

 inch long, prostrate, creeping amongst moss, rarely 

 forming a stratum, with a few pinnate branches. 

 Leaves broadly spreading, in two rows, flattened 

 or decurved, distinct or contiguous, rarely some- 

 what imbricated, suboblique, ovate-oblong or ovate, 

 obtuse, rarely rounded, complicate at the base, 

 lobules small — more than five times shorter than 

 the leaves, subovoid, inflated, apex gradually run- 

 ning into the leaf, or shortly acute and incurved, 

 elongated on the stems, not rarely obsolete ; cells 

 hexagonal. Stipules three times shorter than the 

 leaves, distant, orbicular, obtusely bifid to the 

 middle, segments acute, or rather obtuse, monoicous 

 on short branches. Bracts twice as short as the 

 leaves, spreading, bilobed half way, lobes compli- 

 cate, lanceolate. Perianth emersed, pear-shaped, 

 depressed at the apex, with a short mucronate 

 beak, five-keeled. Calyptra half shorter, obovate, 

 constricted at the base. Capsule globose. 



Differs from every other European Lejeunia in the 

 female flowers being borne on exceedingly short 

 branchlets, which normally put forth no subfloral 

 innovation. Another important and unique char- 

 acter is afforded by the large pear-shaped perianths 

 being so very strongly and sharply keeled that they 

 seem broadly five- winged. — {Plate i,fig. Q.) 



Lejeunia patens. Lindb. 



Pallid, pellucid, shining when dry ; stems 

 branched and intricate; leaves rounded-ovate; 



