HANDBOOK OF BRITISH HEPATIC^. 121 



matous shoots entangled, flexuose, polished, 

 resembling pale brown horse-hair ; stems 2-7 

 mm. long, ascending, terete, rigid, interrupted, 

 repeatedly innovant, ramuli springing from one 

 or both sides of the old axis, either barren and 

 setaceous, or fertile, and with rapidly accrescent 

 leaves. Leaves on the lower portion of the shoots 

 and flagella distichous, approximate, erect, and 

 appressed to the stem so closely as to be readily 

 overlooked, ovate, carinate-concave, cleft for half 

 their length into two lanceolate lobes, sinus acute, 

 texture thin, polished, punctate-areolate, cells 

 subquadrate ; colour golden brown. Involucral 

 leaves much larger, vertically spreading, lobes 

 shallower and more obtuse, half hiding the 

 perianth. Perianth at first turbinate, when mature 

 roundish ovate, ventricose, obtusely three cornered 

 below, mouth contracted, bicristate in front ; in 

 older specimens multi-plicate, minutely toothed. 

 Carrington. 



Hygrobiella Nevicensis, Carr. 



Shoots creeping, entangled, flagelliferous ; 

 stems ascending, simple or irregularly 

 branched, flexuose, leafless below and devoid 

 of rootlets. Leaves bifarious, alternate, scarce 

 broader than stem, distant, vaginate, upper 

 erect, roundish ovate, lower spreading, ovate 

 quadrate, complicate, concave, rounded at base, 

 bidentate, sinus acute, texture thin. With- 

 out stipules. 



