8 Illinois Staff Laboratory 0f Natural History. 



gradually dies away; the branches thus become independent 

 plants by a sort of compulsory self-division. By this method 

 large areas become covered with a single species without the 

 production of spores. 



Gemmae (Lat. gemma, a bud) are variously produced in 

 different genera. In some (Madotheca) they are simply cells 

 detached from the margin of the leaves; in others ( M/o'cltan-' 

 fia) they are produced in broad cup-shaped receptacles on the 

 upper side of the thallus, looking like miniature bird's nests 

 with their included eggs; in other genera the receptacle may 

 be flask-shaped (Blasia), or crescent-shaped (Lunularia). The 

 last-named species may be seen in almost any greenhouse, where 

 it has been introduced from Europe, and the crescent-shaped 

 gemmae cups are found on nearly every plant. Many species 

 produce no gemmae. 



Less commonly the Hepaticae multiply by runners, a pecu- 

 liar form of which is termed kflagdlurft (Lat. a lash). Tubers, 

 so called, were once supposed to form a fourth method of re- 

 production, but these "endogenous gemmae 1 ' have been found 

 to be produced from filaments of Nostoc. They are most com- 

 mon in some species of Anthoceros. 



Sexual Organs. Two kinds are present, known respect- 

 ively as archegonia (Gr. archa, beginning, and gonos, seed), 

 analogous to pistils, and antheridia (Lat. <(nthcra, an anther, 

 and Gr. eidos, form), analogous to stamens. The relative posi- 

 tion of these organs on the plant varies greatly in different 

 genera. When the sexual organs are in the same cluster the 

 term syncecious (Gr. sun, together, and oikia, house) is used; 

 this form, however, rarely, if ever, occurs among the hepatics. 

 When the antheridia are situated in the axils of bracts near the 

 archegonia, or when (as in Fossombronia) both organs are 

 naked on the dorsal surface of the same stem, the relation is 

 said to be parcecious (Gr. para, beside, and oikia). When the 

 antheridia occur in a separate receptacle on the same plant as 

 the archegonia, the plant is monoecious; the same arrangement, 

 but with the sexes on separate plants, is the dioecious relation. 

 In some species one or more relations exist, apparently with- 

 out special reason. 



Antheridium. The male organ is usually globose or oval 



