No. 46. J 
[December, 1879. 
A QUARTERLY RECORD OF CRYPTOGAMIC BOTANY 
AND ITS LITERATURE. 
NEW BRITISH HEPATICiE. 
By B. Carrington, M.D. 
Tlie following species have been distributed in Carrington 
and Pearson’s “Exsiccati” : — 
66. Riccia glaucescens. Carr. 
Dioicous. Fronds flabellate -furcate, sometimes crowded and 
imbricating each other ; segments linear-cuneate or battledore- 
shaped, concave, not canaliculate on the upper aspect, and sur- 
rounded by a rather broad border, recurved and convex when 
moist, but indexed when dry. 
Texture homogeneous, composed of large cells arranged in 
regular series, thickened along the mid-line of the lower surface, 
margins thinner, acute, fringed with small but strong translucent 
cilia which require a good lens for their recognition ; sometimes 
these are wanting or irregularly disposed, and the border simply 
crenulate. 
Apex of fronds emarginate, the lobes conniveut, connected at 
the base by a lunate fold, between which there is often a small 
central tongue proceeding from the inferior lobe of the frond. 
Colour, pale translucent glaucous green above, border somewhat 
paler, under surface covered laterally by a delicate membrane or 
detached scales of a purple colour, best seen when the plant is dry 
and the border incurved — mid-line brownish radiculose. Capsules 
few, occupying the hollow central channel near the base of the 
frond ; spores large, dark brown, muriculate. 
Riccia glaucescens, which was first shown to be ciliated by 
Mr. Pearson, from Barmouth specimens, is widely distributed 
throughout Britain. I have received it from various stations 
under the name R. crystallina, but that species, although resem- 
bling it in the large prominent surface cells, which reflect the light 
like those of the Ice Plant, is always destitute of cilia. R. caver- 
nosa Hoff, which in like manner is often confounded with 
R. crystallina , may be recognised by the large air-cells beneath 
the surface laver, which become depressed and pitted when dry. 
After a comparison with all the forms in my herbarium, the one 
it seems to approach most nearly is R. Bischoffii, Hiibn., but in 
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