( J. exsecta. J 
BRITISH JUNGERMANNI M . 
This singular species of Jungermannia seems to be confined to the two most eastern 
counties in the kingdom ; at least I have never heard of its being found in any other places, 
excepting, indeed, very lately near Bantry, by Miss Hutchins, of whom it may almost with 
truth be said, that she finds every thing. It affects elevated and exposed situations, and is 
most frequently met with on those heathy soils which are not far removed from the sea. 
My friend, Mr. Francis, has long known it as an inhabitant of his neighborhood, and has 
preserved a drawing and description of it in his manuscripts, under the name of J. acuta. 
Schmidel discovered it about Bareuth and Erlangen, in 1758 ; but, though he has given an 
accurate figure and elaborate history of the barren state of the species, I cannot feel satisfied 
that his representation of the fertile plant belongs to the same ; the drawing itself of that part 
being unsatisfactory. This suspicion, however, has not kept me from translating in my 
description what he says of the fruit. That lie should have fallen into an error of this kind, 
supposing him really to have done so, is the less remarkable, when it is recollected that he finds 
the fructification not upon young, healthy, and vigorous plants, “sed in vetustis et penb 
emortuis,” so that I am very much disposed to think that he may, like Dr. Roth, have 
confounded J. exsecta and J. excisa together. Of the Hallerian synonym, I am by no means 
certain : the description in some respects is at variance with our plant, yet I am still disposed to 
think that this is what the author really intended, from his speaking of the extremity of the 
leaves, as “ ruberrimum quasi fragum ferens.” The greater number of synonyms, too, that 
are cited by Schmidel, have been here omitted, because it appears to me that they ill accord with 
the characters of Jungermannia exsecta, which, if really permanent, as I have every reason to hope 
they are, are so striking, and so dissimilar to those of every other species of the genus, that I 
feel it would be quite needless to say any thing more respecting them. 
REFERENCES TO THE PLATE. 
FIG. 
1. 
o 
J. exsecta, natural size. 
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A 
Pn-rtinn rtf thfi dfpm ri. 71 .fl J.P(11)P.S 
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8. 
