HANDBOOK OF BRITISH HEPATIC^. 119 



destitute of radicles, the stems rooting at the base 

 by means of short naked flagella. The leaves are 

 complicate-bilobed, and there is no capitate in- 

 volucre, the uppermost leaves being alternate, and 

 often rather remotefrom the perianth. Moreover, the 

 perianths are very narrow at the mouth, and almost 

 closed not from being plicately constricted, as is 

 frequent in Cepkalozia, but from the proper shape 

 of the constituent valves. The stem innovates 

 repeatedly (sometimes bilaterally) from the base of 

 successive sterile flowers. 



Hygrobiella laxifolia, Hook., Dum. 



Stem lax, nearly simple, leaves quadrifarious, 

 incumbent, lax, ovate, acutely two-lobed, peri- 

 chaetial twice as large, stipules none, perianth 

 terminal, fusiform, rather plicate, mouth con- 

 tracted. 



Jungermannia laxifolia, Hook. Br. Jung. No. 

 56 ; Engl. Bot. t. 2677 ; Gott. and 

 Rabh. Exs. No. 345 ; Carr. and 

 Pears. Exs. No. 68; Cooke Hep. f. 

 101. Gymnocolea laxifolia, Dum. Rev. 

 Jung. p. 17. Hygrobiella laxifolia, 

 Spruce on Cephalozia, p. 74. 



Beside mountain streams. (Fr. April.) 



Growing in small dense green tufts. 

 Stems erect, thread-like, flexuous | inch 

 long, slender, simple, or innovant, pale 

 green. Leaves distant, alternate, arising 

 on four sides, smaller towards the base, 



