ANEURA. 11.0 



opened x 10 (Jack). 7. Spores and elaters x 75 (ditto). 

 8. Elater-bearers x 75 (ditto). 9. Elater x 316 (ditto). 



Subtiibe VIII. METZGERIE^. 



G-enus 43. ANEURA B/nn. 



Riccardia, Gr. & Benn. Nat. Arr. (1H21), pi^o parte. 

 Aneura, Dum. Comm. (1822). 

 Acrostolia, Dum. Recueil (18;5r)). 

 Pseudoneura, Gottsch. Mex. Leverm. (18(53). 



Plants frondose, broadly depresso-ctyspitose, sonievvhat fleshy, 

 dark green or reddish-brown, rarely light green, when dr}', 

 black. Fronds ecostate, prostrate, radiculose, pinnatitid, branches 

 lateral, alternate, or assurgent, bi-tripinnate, pinnjo (primar}' 

 only) opposite, apex (principally when dry) more or less 

 decurved. Stem or primary costa at first almost terete or more 

 or less compressed^ near apex the pinnse and pinnules usually 

 thin and broad. Inflorescence dioicous, rarely monoicous. 

 Female flowers on short lateral pinnules ; pistillidia 2-8 pairs, 

 sessile, short, subcylindrical, inserted a little within the margin 

 of the costa and partially veiled (involucrate) by the incurved 

 and often deeply laciniate wings of the pinnule ; bracts round 

 the fertile pistillidia cup-shaped,- very short and lacerate or 

 absent. Perianth wanting. Calyptra ascending, large, more or 

 less clavate, fleshy, smooth or papillose. Pedicel short. Capsule 

 large, oblong-cylindrical, narrow, more than twice as long as 

 broad, coriaceous, dividing to the base into 4 valves, composed 

 of two layers, inner with annular or semi-annular fibres. Elaters 

 loosely unispiral, slender. Elater-bearers short, stout, claviform, 

 persistent at the apex of the valves. Spores minute, scarcely as 

 broad as the elaters, smooth or asperulous. Andre L'cia on short 

 lateral pinnules. Antheridia 2-12 pairs, inserted in two rows, 

 one row on each side of the upper face of the pinnules ; in 

 little pits (alveoles) on the very margin, solitary, largo, globose, 

 subsessile. 



2 F 



