Handbook of British hepaticæ : containing descriptions and figures of the indigenous species of Marchantia, Jungermannia, Riccia and Anthoceros / by M.C. Cooke.

  • Cooke, M. C. (Mordecai Cubitt), 1825-1914.
Date:
1894
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Handbook of British hepaticæ : containing descriptions and figures of the indigenous species of Marchantia, Jungermannia, Riccia and Anthoceros / by M.C. Cooke. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/342 (page 4)
    very fragile. When placed in water they recover their form to some extent, but the fugitive colour never returns; nevertheless they retain their dis- tinctive specific characters, so that there is no difficulty in their determination after the lapse of many years. Although inferior to Mosses and Lichens in bearing the process of desiccation, they are at the same time superior to the fresh-water algae and fungi. What is true of other plants is also true of these—that in order to their complete and accurate determination the fructification is essential. When specimens are collected they should be gathered with their fruit if possible, although there are some species of which the perfect fruit is very rare ; and a few in which the mature capsules have never been found in this country. We do not deny that the experienced hepaticologist would in many cases determine a known species accurately, from other characters, in the absence of fruit when the student would fail. The relations of the Hepatics with the Mosses have been the subject of comment by Dr. S. O. Lindberg,* an eminently capable authority, who says that the Mosses are superior to the He- paticae only in regard to the more composite structure of their theca, and the presence of a nerve in their leaf, but in all other respects they seem to be inferior. To which he adds that the Hepaticae are superior to the Bryinece chiefly by the following characters : The polymorphy of all their organs ; * Lindberg on Zoopsis, in Linn. Journ. Bot. XIII., p. 196, 1873.