246 VEGETABLE ORGANOGRAPHY. 



crermanniae, are sessile at the lower face of a star-like 

 pedunculate disc, and directed downwards ; the capsules 

 only open at the apex, by scarcely distinguishable teeth, 

 and the elaters are more slender. 3d. The bulbs are 

 more frequent, collected in kinds of sessile cups. 



In Anthoceros the male organs are, according to 

 Hedwig, oval anthers, slightly pedicellate, collected three 

 or four together, in points scattered upon the disc of the 

 leaf, at first concealed under a pellicle which breaks, and 

 forms around them a kind of perigone. The female 

 flowers also grow upon the disc of the leaf; they are at 

 first presented under the form of a cone, they pierce it 

 through at the apex, and retain the remains at their 

 base, under the form of a sheath ; they afterwards have 

 an elongated bivalve capsule, which opens longitudinally, 

 and then presents an isolated filament situated in the 

 axis of the fruit. The seeds are spherical, slightly 

 bristly, and furnished with compressed laminae, which 

 appear to perform the part of elaters. 



Targionia only presents a globular capsule surrounded 

 by a perigone ; the seeds are devoid of elaters. Sprengel 

 thinks that the male organs are corpuscules scattered 

 upon the membrane situated around the female flower, 

 and which perish before the maturity of the fruit. 



Finally, Riccia only presents for the fruit, according 

 to Hedwig, kinds of univalve capsules, buried or sunk 

 in the leaf, surmounted by a small filament which seems 

 to be a style, and containing several ovules devoid of 

 elaters. The male organs are small whitish points, 

 sessile, and scattered upon the leaf near the margins of 

 its expansions. But the mode of reproduction of these 

 two last genera deserves to be studied. 



Here ends the series of cryptogamic plants, where we 

 can recognise the sexes with any degree of precision. 

 In the following families we shall find no organs which 



