No. 11.] THE BRYOPHYTES OF CONNECTICUT. 15 
portion of the capsule wall in the form of a cup. As the 
spores and elaters become dry, the latter through their 
elasticity stretch out and separate the spores. In this way the 
contents of the capsule form a loose cottony mass, which can 
be easily carried away by the wind. In certain genera the 
gametophyte develops a special protective organ for the 
sporophyte outside the calyptra. This is usually in the form 
of a hollow tube or sheath open at the tip, and may be called 
a pseudoperianth, to distinguish it from a very similar organ 
found in many of the leafy Jungermanniales. 
THE JUNGERMANNIALES 
Both thalloid and leafy forms are here represented. All 
are characterized by a slight degree of cell differentiation and 
by a lack of intercellular spaces, even among the green cells. 
The rhizoids are all essentially alike and agree with the first 
type described for the Marchantiales. Their only function is 
that of anchorage, and to perform this more efficiently they 
frequently become lobed or branched at the extremity. In 
many of the genera absorption seems to be carried on by all 
the surface cells. 
With the exception of a very few primitive types which 
are not known from New England, the sporophyte is practically 
uniform throughout the entire order. It consists of a distinct 
foot, a stalk, and a capsule, and it remains enclosed within 
the calyptra until the spores are mature. The stalk consists 
of strongly flattened cells arranged in longitudinal rows, and 
the capsule, as in the Marchantiacez, contains both spores and 
elaters. When the spores are ready to be disseminated, the 
stalk elongates rapidly through the lengthening of its individual 
cells and thus forces the capsule through the calyptra. The 
latter is thus irregularly ruptured but continues to enclose the 
base of the stalk. The capsule now raised on its stalk soon 
splits its wall, usually into four valves, the lines of dehiscence 
extending from the apex to or toward the base. The spores 
are scattered in much the same way as in the Marchantiacex, 
although the elaters sometimes play a more active part in their 
dispersal. The Jungermanniales are also divided into two 
families, the Metzgeriaceze and the Jungermanniacez, the most 
