Sphcerocarpus.] HEPATIC^. 215 



Of this plant we know nothing but from Dickson's figure 

 and description above quoted. It seems very Jll to accord with 

 Riccia. 



II. SPH^EROCARPUS. 



Capsules ? sphaerical surrounded by an obovate Calyx, open at 

 the summit. 



1 . S. terrestris. 



Sphaerocarpus terrestris. Enyl. JBot. t. 299. Schwaegr. Prodr. 

 Hepat. p. 35. Weber, Prodr. Hepat. p. 109. 



Targionia sphserocarpa. Dicks. PL Crypt. Fasc. 1. p. 8. 

 Sphserocarpus. Schmid. Ic. 23. f. 11. Mich. Gen. t. 3. Dill. 

 Muse. t. 78. / 17. 



HAB. In fields, especially Clover layers ; plentiful in 



Norfolk. 



is with great regret that we give so imperfect an account 

 of this plant, which, though growing plentifully in Norfolk and 

 Suffolk, our own neighbourhood, we have never been able to 

 detect in perfect fructification. Various, indeed, have been 

 the accounts given of it, especially by Schmidel, Sprengel, 

 and Weber ; without, however, entering into a discussion of 

 their correctness, we shall simply state what we have hitherto 

 observed. 



The fronds grow single or collected together in small 

 patches upon the ground, each from a fourth to half an inch 

 in length, plane, slightly waved, the margin variously lobed, 

 lobes short and rounded ; the texture thin, beautifully reticu- 

 lated, the colour pale green, inclining to glaucous, the under 

 side adhering to its place of growth by abundant fibrous 

 radicles; the whole of its superior surface, except towards the 

 margin, is covered with numerous obovate follicles or calyces, 

 of the same texture and colour as the frond, varying much in 

 dimensions, the largest and oldest ones about the size of a 

 small mustard seed, truncated at the top and perforated ; the 

 aperture entire at the margin. Within these, at the base, as 

 well in the small as larger ones, we find sometimes from 2 5 

 extremely minute, linear, pistilliform bodies, at other times, one 

 of these is oblong, swollen, and lengthened, and exactly resem- 



04 



