ORDER III. 



HEPATIC^. Juss. 



The approach of the Musci to phanerogamous plants by the 

 almost woody nature of the seta, and by the presence of 

 nerves to the leaves, is entirely lost in the Hepatir.ce. These 

 are softer and more cellulose in their structure; their seed 

 vessels are more simplified, being destitute of lids, and conse- 

 quently of peristomes, and their seeds have not yet been ob- 

 served attached to particular points of the capsules. The 

 Calyptra seems to act a most important part different in func- 

 tion from the organ so called in the preceding order. The 

 Calyptra of the Musci ruptured at its base rises on the summit 

 of the rudiment of the young capsule and retains its position, 

 organically unconnected, until the full growth of the latter and 

 maturity of the seeds, and appears during this entire period no 

 more than a protection. In the Hepatica, on the contrary, the 

 Calyptra attains its full size in the form of a globe usually, con- 

 taining a thick liquid, in the centre of which a minute speck, 

 the future capsule is observable for many months previous to 

 its expansion. During this slow evolution, the capsule seems 

 to increase at the expense of the fluid contents of the Calyptra, 

 so that this at maturity is reduced to a most delicately thin 

 membrane, finally bursting irregularly to give exit to the cap- 

 sule, or as in the foreign genus Fimbriaria to allow the seeds of 

 the ruptured capsule to escape. 



