LIVEEWOET 309 



in the grass, on the rooks, or in the greenhouse. No- 

 tice what sort of soil it occupies and the general char- 

 acter of its surroundings. Examine the gross anatomy 

 of the plant, then make sections and study its internal 

 structure. 



MOEPHOLOGT 



Naked-eije Characters. 



a. General appearance. — Examine first a plant bear- 

 ing none of the upright stalks which produce the 

 sexual organs. What is the general shape of 

 the body (thallus) of the plant ? What part of 

 the thallus is in contact with the ground ? Does 

 the thallus present well - marked dorsal and ven- 

 tral sides 1 Compare with rockweed. What is the 

 color of the thallus ? Width? Thickness? Tear 

 a thallus to pieces and note its texture. Does it 

 have a midrib ? Compare with rockweed. Does 

 the thallus bear horizontal branches ? If so, in 

 what manner are they given off ? Compare with 

 rockweed. Do certain parts of the thallus appear 

 to be older than others ? If so, where are these 

 parts ? Compare with rockweed. In which di- 

 rection does the thallus grow? Compare with 

 rockweed. Examine next a plant bearing the 

 upright fruiting stalks. At what points do these 

 stalks grow? Is this position constant? Aside 

 from the stalks, do these plants differ in any es- 

 sential particular from those which are without 

 stalks ? Examine a number of plants to find the 

 two kinds of fruiting stalks, the male or anthe- 

 ridial branch, with a flat, and the female or 

 archegonial branch, Avith a star-shaped expan- 

 sion at the top of each stalk. Do the male and 



