MR. E. 8. SALMON ON THE GENUS NANOMITRIUM. 169 
Dixon, on the other hand, places Ephemerum in the Funariacee, 
for, it appears to me, very convincing reasons. This author says 
(12): “I have united Ephemerum with the Funariacee, as despite 
their near resemblance to Acaulon they appear to be quite as 
closely related, through Physcomitrella, with that Order, and the 
areolation is rather Funarioid than Pottioid." Also on page 268 : 
“ The plants composing this and the last genus [Nanomitrium and 
Ephemerum | are connected with the higher Funariacee through 
Physcomitrella and Physcomitrium.” 
We may now, I think, look upon Nanomitrium as securely 
placed in the Funariacee, and at the same time must consider 
that Ephemerum is linked, through the intermediate E. megalo- 
sporum, to the same Order. 
Note. —Since writing the above, I have seen the last part of 
Goebel's * Organographie der Pflanzen' (2 Th. 1 Heft, 1898), and 
find that the capsule of. Nanomitrium tenerum has been recently 
investigated by this author, with the special object of ascertaining 
if a columella is present. 
Goebel has found that a columella exists in the earlier stages 
of the development of the capsule, but that, when the capsule is 
ripe, the columella, together with all the cells of the amphithecium 
except the external layer, becomes absorbed. Also, what is 
specially interesting, the presence of the differentiated cells of 
the capsule-wall, above referred to, is elearly indicated. 
In the figure of the longitudinal section of the ripe capsule 
(loc. cit. fig. 253) two very small cells are shown, which are 
described in the explanation of the figure as the annulus. 
[An earlier account of Goebel’s investigations on N. tenerum 
appears in Flora, Bd. lxxx. p. 463 (1895). Here a figure is 
given of the capsule, showing the zone of differentiated cells, 
which is deseribed as the annulus, and the following remarks 
are made: — “ Nanomitrium besitzt indess einen Deckel und 
einen " Ring “in der einschichtigen Sporogonwand. .. . An einer 
Anzahl reifer Kapseln war der Deckel an der Ringstelle (die, 
wie Fig. 3 zeigt, durch niedrigere Zellen gekennzeichnet ist) 
abgebrochen; gelegentlich mag auch der Ring unvollständig 
sich ausbilden und dann die Kapselwand bei der Reife unregel- 
miissig zerreissen." The other points of my paper are not 
touched upon.— E. S. S., February 21st, 1899.] 
