LIVERWORTS 131 



Before leaving the subject of the reproductive 

 organs it should be mentioned that, for purposes 

 of identification, it is frequently very important 

 (as we have already seen is the case with the 

 mosses) to ascertain the relative positions on the 

 plant of the two kinds, or, in other words, to 

 satisfy oneself as to whether the plant is dioicous, 

 autoicous, synoicous, etc. (see page 41). And the 

 sight of the curious leafy cups, which we have 

 been considering, will save considerable trouble. 

 For, as they always contain one or more of the 

 fruit-bearing organs (archegonia) , they form a 

 conclusive indication of the presence of these 

 organs. 



The Capsule. The variety of form in the 

 capsule, which is so noticeable a feature in the 

 mosses, and which often constitutes an important 

 item in their identification, is not so strikingly 

 exemplified in the liverworts, and in consequence 

 it will be found that this part of the plant's 

 anatomy is seldom figured in the text-books. 

 Even here, however, there is a certain amount 

 of divergence in many of the species, for while 

 as a rule it may be said that the shape of the 

 capsule is more or less oval, in some instances 

 it is round, while in others it resembles an elon- 

 gated pod rather than an ordinary capsule. 



The escape of the ripe spores from the capsule 

 is generally brought about in a far simpler 

 manner in the liverworts than in the mosses, 



