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Г. 
кан СО си. ЕГ долара ee и сове“. ~ аи 
ASTERELLA 47 
урепаштоп Corda ; Opiz, Beitr. т: 648. 1829.“ Schiffn.; 
Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 1°: 33. 1893. 
Thallus simple or somewhat sparingly dichotomous, some- 
times innovating in front, or laterally from near the ventral aspect 
of the more or less distinctly defined costa, very thick, usually 
with a thin often colored margin, commonly dark purple beneath, 
pores and areolae of the dorsal surface distinct or somewhat ob- 
receptacles borne in the median line of the thallus or on short 
Specialized lateral branches. receptacle obtusely conical or sub- 
hemispherical, sometimes depressed-umbonate or flattened with 
age, maturing 1-6 (usually 3 or 4) sporogonia, these enclosed 
singly in the strongly or obscurely defined lobes. Peduncle a 
direct continuation of the thallus or of a thallus-lobe, the latter 
sometimes a small innovation springing from one side of the 
median ventral line of the costa, the dorsal (posterior) face of the 
peduncle without assimilative tissue, the ventral (anterior) face with 
a single root-hair furrow, in communication with which at the apex 
are root-hair sinuses in the receptacle alternating with its lobes. 
Sporogonium and the commonly inconspicuous calyptra surrounded 
by a special membranous involucre, the pseudoperianth, this at 
first somewhat conical, becoming usually much exserted, finally 
with 3-18 longitudinal clefts, the narrow segments coherent at the 
apex or soon becoming free. Capsule globose, ovoid, or obovoid, 
more ог less regularly circumscissile above Ше middle or (in 4. 
Californica) the apical third or half of the wall falling away irregu- 
larly in dehiscence, leaving a fimbriate-lacerate margin, the wall— 
for the most part, at least—of a single layer of cells, without an- 
nular or spiral thickenings, but often exhibiting distinct trigones, 
especially in the apical portion. Seta very short, foot bulbous. 
Spores rather large, yellow, brown, fuscous, or black, obscurely 
tetrahedral ог flattened, usually with a pellucid margin, areolate- 
reticulate, verrucose, or irregularly rugose. Elaters 1—4-spiral. 
Key to the Species. 
9 branch from apex of thallus or of one of its main segments. 
Ф receptacle strongly lobed, paleaceous-barbate beneath ; segments of pseudo- 
perianth coherent at apex ; spores yellow, elaters mostly unispiral ; dioicous. ; 
I. A. Californica. 
Ф receptacle conic-ovate, scarcely lobed, naked beneath ; segments of pseudo- 
perianth coherent at apex; spores fuscous or black, elaters 1-3-spiral ; monoi- 
4. A. Palmeri. 
* See foot-note under Ricciocarpus, р. 33- 
