Marchantia.~} HEPATIC^E. 219 



purplish black colour, and a texture between membranaceous 

 and coriaceous, and marked with a vertical prominent line, from 

 which it becomes dehiscent and consequently two-valved. With- 

 in this perianth are seen, in an early stage, a few pistilliform 

 bodies, one of which becomes a sphserical germen, covered with 

 a calyptra, which is tipped by a rather long style ; the calyptra 

 bursts irregularly and vertically. The spherical capsule is 

 protruded beyond it, but never reaches further than the Perianth. 

 Fndtstalk accordingly very short and succulent. Capsule dark 

 brown, opening at the extremity with several unequal segments 

 and discharging innumerable brown seeds, mixed with short 

 spiral filaments, composed of a double helix. 



V. MARCHANTIA. 



Common receptacle of the fruit pedunculated, peltate, bearing be- 

 neath shortly pedicellated pendent capsules, opening at the 

 extremity with about eight teeth, and filled with seeds and 

 spiral filaments. Anthers? oblong, imbedded in a flat car- 

 nose sessile or pedunculated papillary disk. Gemmce, 

 abundant in this genus on the frond, lenticular, contained 

 in variously shaped receptacles, and germinating even while 

 on the parent frond. 



1. M. polymorpha; receptacle of the capsules deeply cut in a 

 stellated manner into about 10 narrow segments, that of the 

 anthers pedunculated. 



Marchantia polymorpha. Linn, Sp. PL p. 160. Schmid. Ic. t. 9. 

 (male) . t. 29. (fern, j Engl Bot. t. 110. Hook. Fl Scot. P. II. p. 



119. Raddi,in Opusc. Sclent, di Bologna, v. 2 DM. Muse. t. 76. 



/ 6. 



HAB. In moist and wet situations ; also in dry spots, 



when shaded ; very common. 



Fronds much imbricated, procumbent, erect only when grow- 

 ing in water, extremely variable in length, rarely simple, 

 generally once or twice divided in a dichotomous manner; 

 from one to four or even five inches long ; the lacinise mostly 

 short, rounded, and nearly entire ; sometimes, as when growing 

 in water, very much elongated, linear-oblong, marked on the 

 upper surface with a depressed dark line, which on the under 



