348 Note on Pellia epiphylla 
entitled “ Grundziige der Offnungsmechanik von Bliitenstaub und 
einigen Sporenbehaltern,” by C. Steinbrinck (Botanish Jaarboek 
Dodonaea, 1895-6, p. 334), no mention is there made of the special 
dehiscence lines and it was my intention to publish a small note on 
the subject: in that, however, Dr. Cavers has forestalled me. 
There are still one or two small additional facts that I have 
noted and which seem to be worth recording. The colour of the 
capsule when it first emerges from the calyptra is nearly black— 
actually very dark green—and the dehiscence lines are not visible 
to the naked eye 1 as the stalk elongates, the capsule turns brown 
and the four longiduinal dehiscence lines become clearly marked. 
Dehiscence then takes place, in a curious way; it commences 
1, Capsule emerging from the calyptra ; 2, Capsule turned brown and 
showing the dehiscence lines ; 3, Commencement of dehiscence ; 4, Capsule 
divided into two portions, one shewing the beginning of the second split ; 5, 
Another view of the capsule shown in Fig. 4 ; 6, Capsule completely dehisced. 
in., involucre; cal., calyptra; th, capsule; a, commencement of dehiscence; 
sp., mass of spores and elaters. 
equatorially in two only of the lines, and the splits gradually extend 
to the poles till the capsule opens in two hemispherical portions ; 
a split then begins to appear in the middle of the back of each 
these hemispheres along the other dehiscence lines, eventually 
dividing each hemisphere into two longitudinally, and so forming 
the four capsule valves. The accompanying sketches, made in 
March, 1911, will make clear the order of events in the process of 
dehiscence. 
