OF THE GENUS SYMBLEPHARIS. 489 
tab. xviiii—Symblepharis helicophylla, Montagne. Mexico, Lieb- 
man”; and there are specimens of S. helicophylla from Mexico 
in Schimper’s herbarium named “ D. vaginatus, Hook.” 
S. Oerstediana, C. Mill. Syn. ii. p. 613 (1861), as pointed 
out by Mitten (2. p. 49), must be referred to S. helicophylla, 
and is not dioicous as described. The specimens in the Kew 
Herbarium (coll. Oersted) I find are autoicous, just as in 
S. helicophylla. 
S. Chrismari, S. Müll. Syn. ii. p. 614 (1851). 
The description of this moss commences * 5$. helicophylle 
simillima, sed folia angustiora breviora e cellulis mollibus 
chlorophyllosis, nunquam incrassatis, areolata; thece angus- 
tissime cylindrice elongate erecte valde falcato-arcuate." The 
other characters given do not differ from those of S. helico- 
phylla. 
Through the kindness of Prof. C. Miiller I have been able to 
examine a specimen of this plant (now in the Kew Herbarium). 
Icertainly do not think itis distinct from S. helicophylla. First, 
as to the cells: these are decidedly incrassate (Pl. 26. figs. 27, 
28), in some leaves less so than in others, but agreeing essentially 
with those of S. helicophylla, where, in the Indian examples 
especially, the amount of incrassation is slightly variable. The 
character of the different shape of the capsule is not shown by 
the specimen sent by Prof. Miiller. There are two capsules on 
this: one longly cylindrical and curved, 3 mm. long; the other 
elliptical and straight, 1:50 mm. long. This shows how invariable 
the shape and size of the capsule are in Symblepharis, and the 
little value of characters depending on these. Leaves quite as 
narrow and short often oecur in S. helicophylla. 
In 1891 Bescherelle (7) published a species of Symblepharis, 
S. asiatica, from Yun-nan, China, with the following descrip- 
tion :— Offre le port du 5. helicophylla Mont. du Mexique ; ses 
feuilles à peine denticulées au sommet, à nervure lisse, ses 
pédicelles solitaires, sa capsule cylindrique courbée len distin- 
guent suffisamment.” 
The specimens of this (ex herb. Bescherelle) in the Kew 
Herbarium do not agree well with this description, especially 
in those points in which the author contrasts the species with 
S. helicophylla. The nerve of most of the leaves 18 rough at 
back above, often quite prominently 80; also among the few 
