Home › Volumes › Mosses and Lichens › Herbarium

How to Dissect Hepatics, Mosses, and Lichens

To remove leaves from stems, grasp them near their bases with a pair of forceps and strip them downward.

To obtain cross sections of leaves, grasp a bunch between the thumb and forefinger and slice it across from apex to base with a sharp knife. Among the sections there should be found some which will show the structure.

To study the spore-case, cut off the upper portion with a pair of scissors and then holding this on a slide with a needle, split it lengthwise and lay the two parts flat on the glass so that a view is given of the inner and outer surfaces.

Cross sections of stems and rhizoids may be made while holding them between two pieces of pith or candle-wax.