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72 | i ` Rhodora [APRIL 
Kongl. Svenska Vetensk. Akad. Handl. 21": 28. pl. —, f. B. 1896. 
Diplophylleia gymnostomophila K. Müll. Nova Acta Acad. Caes. Leop. 
Carol. 83: 305. 1905.  Sphenolobus gymnostomophilus | Schiffn. 
Oesterr. Bot. Zeitschr. 58: [3] 1908. On a limestone-bearing cliff, 
mixed with other bryophytes, Willoughby, Vermont (Miss Lorenz, 
July 1913). New to North America. In Europe the species is now 
known from Norway, Sweden, King Oscar Land, Scotland, and France 
(Basses-Pyrenées). It seems to be confined to calcareous regions and 
is everywhere rare. The Vermont plants, which bear gemmae but 
no sexual organs, agree closely with a N orwegjan specimen collected 
by Kaalaas himself and kindly communicated by Miss Lorenz. 
The original material of this interesting species was collected by 
Kaalaas in the vicinity of Christiania, although he cites specimens 
from other stations in Norway as well. It was entirely without 
archegonia but showed both androecia and gemmae. On account of 
the lack of perianths Kaalaas could not be sure about the generic 
position of his plant. He placed it in Scapania, at the same time 
expressing the opinion that it represented a transition between Sca- 
pania and Diplophyllum. A short time afterwards he discovered 
female plants with perianths. "The latter were terete or only slightly 
flattened and showed numerous folds in the upper part and a con- 
tracted mouth. "These peculiarities were naturally considered suffi- 
cient to exclude the species from Scapania, and it was therefore trans- 
ferred to Diplophyllum. In this position it remained unchallenged 
until Schiffner pointed out the fact that it showed a relationship to 
Jungermannia Helleriana Nees and especially to J. ovata Dicks., two 
species which have caused considerable discussion among hepaticolo- 
gists. At the present time J. Helleriana is regarded by most students 
as a species of Sphenolobus and is known as S. Hellerianus (Nees) 
Steph. With respect to J. ovata, however, opinions are still at vari- 
ance. Some writers, including Schiffner, consider it a Sphenolobus 
and call it S. ovatus (Dicks.) Schiffn.; others include it among the 
species of Diplophyllum. Since Schiffner considers J. ovata a species 
of Sphenolobus, he naturally transferred D. gymnostomophilum to the 
same genus. 
The genus Diplophyllum is exceedingly artificial and at the same 
time forms a connecting link between the genera Scapania and S pheno- 
lobus and therefore between the subdivisions Epigoniantheae and 
Scapanioideae, which are usually placed rather far apart in arrange- 
