CLASS I.— THALLOGENS. Lindley. 



CRypToPHYTA, Lk. — Anandr.^, Lk. — Aphyll^^j;, D.C, JAndl. — *HoMO- 

 NEME.B, Bartling, Fries. — Homorgana Sporifera, Schults. — Thal- 

 LOPHYTA, Endlicher. — Protophyta, Perleb. — Amphigen.e, Brongn. — 



ACOTYLEDONE.E, Ag. 



Cellular, rarely herbaceous, plants for the most part des- 

 titute of a distinct stem with foliaceous appendages, which, 

 if present, are void of stomata ; fruit either naked, or in the 

 form of distinct organisms, which produce spores at the tips 

 of certain privileged filaments, or sporidia from the organiza- 

 tion of their endochromes ; more rarely arising from the 

 mere subdivision of the component cells. Spores very rarely 

 producing a prothallus, and if so, giving rise to a second order 

 of spores, which germinate at definite points. Spermatozoids, 

 very rarely, if ever, spiral, furnished with flagelliform pro- 

 cesses, or destitute of such processes, and resembling ordinary 

 spores; in some cases merely represented possibly by minute 

 deciduous sporiform cells. As before, the several names 

 which have been applied will nearly give the characters : 



1. Cellularia, Homonemew, Homorgana. 



2. Aphylla', Thallophyta, Amphlgenw. 



3. Acotyledonecti. 



57. It is, perhaps, impossible to comprise within the limits of a 

 few words, a satisfactory definition of productions, which differ 

 so greatly in character and general appearance, as the extreme 



* There is certainly a distinction of root and stem in many, even of 

 the simiilest Thallogeus. The root in Algaj is often a mere holdfast, 

 but in other cases it penetrates into the soil, and absorbs nutriment, 

 and the same may be said of some of the simpler Fungi. In the higher 

 Fungi, this opposition is still more evident. 



