A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

Colesule: “the colesula, the small membranous bag which contains the spore-case of Liverworts” (Lindley); (hepaticae) the perianth, q.v., the inflated envelope around the archegonium; “a small membranaceous bag, containing sporae. Jungermanniae, Marchantia” (S.Gray); "a membranous bag-like organ enclosing the sporangium of hepaticae, the perichaetial sheath, usually termed the Vaginule" (Jackson); also called by Jackson, and by now perhaps not used, the scyphulus,-i (s.m.II), q.v., abl. sg. scyphulo: colesula,-ae (s.f.I), abl. sg. colesula [> Gk. koleos, a sheath]; see vaginule;

NOTE: (hepaticae) the vaginule = the colesule = the perianth, q.v. note ‘2.’

“The sexual germs of the mosses and Hepaticae were first described by Hedwig ... (1782). ... As the fronds approach maturity, the terminal leaves become modified so as to form an involucrum, within which a special covering appears, the colesule or perianth, surrounding the pistillidia [= archegonia]; this is tubular, conical, or compressed in form, with the mouth plicate and generally dentate” (Encyclopedia Britannica vol. 14, 1896).

- [Hepaticae] colesula in omnibus speciminibus nostris est perfecte teres et plicata (Lindb.), the colesule in all of our specimens is perfectly round and plicate.

- Colesula semper in ramis lateralibus observata, parum emergens, pyriformi-clavata, inferne teres, quartam partem supremam quinqueplicata, cristis altioribus et magis complanatis, acie crenulatis (Lindb.), colesule observed always on the lateral branches, somewhat emergent, pyriform-clavate, below rounded-cylindrical, the uppermost fourth part 5-plicate, with the crests higher and more complanate, crenulate on the edges [i.e. angles].

- [Hepaticae] colesula paullo brevior bracteis et cum iis ad dimidiam altitudinem connata, in parte sua libera tubulosa et subtentoriiformis, aperture magna, postea dirupta in laciniis 2-5 irregularibus vel sporogonio abortivo, integra, margine aperturae apicalis retuso irregulariterque repando, alte et obtuse crenato ibidemque hyaline, unistratosa, in parte adhaerente a cellulis irregulariter rhombeo-rectangularibus parumque incrassatis, in eadem libera tamen a cellulis valde regulariter rectangularibus et conformiter incrassatis constructa (Lindb.),

colesule somewhat shorter than the bracts and united with them to half the height, in its own part [i.e. region] free, tubulose and somewhat tent-like, with a large aperture, afterward broken apart into 2-5 irregular laciniae or an abortive sporogonium, entire, with the apical margine of the aperture retuse [i.e. with a rounded shallowly notched end at a broad apex], and irregularly repand [i.e. shallowly undulate], deeply and obtusely crenate, and, in the same place, hyaline, in one layer, in the adherent part, constructed from irregularly rhombic-rectangular somewhat thickened cells, in the same free [i.e. unfused] part, however constructed from very regularly rectangular and similarly thickened cells.

- configuratio colesulae est vera Nardia, sed habitum, fragilitatem, formam, marginem hyalinum, imbricationem densissimam etc. folii, ramificationem caulis et stolones, bracteas perichaetiales, ut in proxima Cesia corallioidi, quacum fere semper confusa, possidet (Lindb.),

the external form of the colesule is a true Nardia, but it possesses the appearance, fragility, shape, hyaline margine, the very dense imbrication etc. of the leaf, the branching of the stem and the stolones, the perichaetial bracts as they are in the [taxonomically] very close Cesia corallioidi, with which it is almost always confused.

Abbrev.: coles.;

- ad rupes humidas (ster.), Killarney, O'Sullivans Cascade, arborea (coles.), Glena ad arbores (coles.) (Lindb.), on wet rocks (sterile), Killarney, O'Sullivans Cascade, arboreal specimens (colesule), Glena, on trees (colesule).