Conclusion of Goebel (1930) and Bower (1935) that the Bryophyta are not connected with any other taxon, either upwards or downwards, has been reconfirmed. “Green Autotrophs” the ancestors of grass-green plants were at different levels of biochemical evolution or had different morphogenetic potentialities. Ancestors of modern green algae lacked in potential to develop a pyramidal apical cell, and an archegonium and meiosis was, as a rule, not defered, while the ancestors of the archegoniatae had this potential and meiosis was defered. Development of an interphase and an embryo became possible only in the Archegoniatae. The sporophyte of Archegoniatae arose as a dependent on the gametophyte with the advent of the archegonium and was never a free living entity. The gametangia in mosses in their pristine form were transformed ramuli, and are today homologous with the branches. The sporophyte in early Bryophyta, as is the case today, lacked the faculty to branch, develop lignin and become free; while the sporophyte of early Pteridophyta had this faculty. Alternation of generation in the Archegoniatae was from the very beginning antithetic.

  Germination of fresh spores and development of sporelings were studied in three species of mosses which are possible recent introductions to Japan. Sporelings of both Eccremidium minutum and Pseudephemerum nitidum belong to the Bryum-type. Iwatsuki and Takaki (1979) reported that spores of E. minutum were large (65-150 μm) and most of them were aborted. In the present study these aborted spores did not germinate, and we observed only a few germinated spores. Almost all spores of P. nitidum germinated easily. Young leafy gametophytes of this species were produced on the caulonemata. Leafy gametophytes grew very fast compared with those of perennial mosses. Spores of Ephemerum spinulosum did not germinate, although we tried four times in 1979 and 1980.

  I consider Lopholejeunea zollingeri and L. nipponica as conspecific. These species have the following characters in common: (1) the crenulate margin of leaf-lobe, (2) the strongly recurved apex of leaf-lobe, (3) the small, inflated leaf-lobule, (4) the apex of leaf-lobule widely connate with the lobe-lamina, (5) the large underleaf recurved or often with flat apical margin and deeply sinuate line of insertion to the stem, (6) the dentate or often nearly smooth margins of female bract and bracteole, (7) the small lobule of female bract, (8) the perianth narrow toward base (so pedicellate in appearance), (9) the perianth with toothed keels, the teeth often connate with each other at the bases, (10) the long and densely branched stem, and (11) the blackish brown pigmentation.