1895.] Distribution of the N. Am. Marchantiacee. 65 
grooved, slender, light green above with crispy or deeply un- 
dulate margins, deep purple beneath with abundant narrow 
purple scales which often extend beyond the apex; ? branch 
purple, rather stout, 1™ or less high, pilose throughout, 
with usually a dense mass of tomentum beneath the involucres; 
receptacle somewhat tuberculate above, with 3-4 somewhat 
divergent involucres; inner involucre short, brownish or often 
purplish, 8-cleft, the divisions coherent at their apices. Spor- 
ophyte sessile, spores (dark yellow) and elaters much as in A. 
Austind to which it is evidently closely related. 
Cuba, C. Wright. Distributed in Hepatice Cubenses 
Wrightianz as Fimbriaria tenella to which it bears little re- 
semblance. 
There are certain data that can best be collected in the 
field that we much desire to add to our knowledge of the spe- 
cies of Asterella. These are the characters of the antheridia 
which develop at a different time from the ? branch; most 
herbarium specimens are collected when this is mature and 
leave the g receptacles largely to be conjectured. The genus 
was formerly regarded as monoicous but it is certain that A. 
Californica is dioicous and possibly other species are. An- 
other feature to be studied where growing material can be had 
in quantity is the development of the branch. In his studies 
on A. Californica Dr. Campbell writes me that he finds that 
it differs from the account of Fimbriaria as given by Leitgeb; 
instead of having one growing point and thus forming a single 
branch, this species has four distinct apices and thus corres- 
ponds to Leitgeb’sdivision ‘Composit 2” of which Marchantia 
is the type. The Pacific coast is the peculiar home of the 
genus in America and it is hoped that light will be thrown on 
other species of this interesting genus by workers in that 
region. 
AYTONIA appears to be the original orthography of the genus 
established by Forster (1776) which has been further chris- 
tened Rupinia Linn. f. (1780), Ottona Corda (1829), Plagio- 
thasma 1L.. et L. (1832), Sedgwickia Bisch. (1835), Antro- 
cephalus Lehm. (1838), and Otionia Mitten (1885). 
Two species are known from our borders which represent 
two very distinct types of structure. In the first species named 
the epidermal cells form a compact palisade structure, the cells 
being fully twice as high as wide; the air cavities are small 
and the entire thallus is compact and adapted to an environ- 
