HANDBOOK OF BRITISH HEPATIC.E. 



163 



hepatics, or forming dense fasciculate patches of a 

 dark green colour. Stems about as 

 thick as horse-hair, purplish black, 

 rigid, polished, but fiexuous; shoots 

 A to 1 inch, rarely 2 inches, long ; 

 branches alternate, divaricate, of 

 nearly uniform size. Leaves dis- 

 tant, alternate, distichous, obovate, 

 or wedge-shaped, contracted and lI $' 



scarcely decurrent at the base (fig. 116), bidentate 

 at the apex, terminal leaves 

 only are erect, dark olive or 

 indigo-green, blackish when 

 dry. Amphigastria gener- 

 ally present, minute, distant, 

 bidentate. Andraeciumspi- 

 cate,ovate. Perigonial leaves 

 three to six pairs, larger than 

 those of the stem, closely 

 imbricate, with many teeth. 

 Antheridia one or two, pale 

 olive yellow. Cells larger 

 than in PlagiocJiila spimdosa 

 (fig. 115). 



" This appears to be a 

 very distinct species. The 

 shoots are fiagelliform, 

 nearly equal throughout, stems black and rigid, 

 leaves distant, patent, wedge-shaped, from a 

 narrow basis, easily detached, usually bidentate 

 at the apex, with an obtuse sinus." 



Plagiochila exigua, lay l. 

 Stem filiform, serpentine, leaves vertical, 



M 2 



