210 A MANUAL OF MOSSES 



lower part of stem having- scale-like and appressed colored 

 leaves, the upper stem and branches having green leaves ; 

 leaves plicate ; costa simple, homogeneous, ending below the 

 apex, at the base widened by two or three layers of laminal 

 cells ; leaf-cells smooth, upwardly narrow-rhombic, downwards 

 linear, the basal orange, the alar hyaline, lax, thin-walled and 

 forming a distinct group ; perichaetial leaves numerous, long 

 and slender ; sporogonia often aggregated : seta long, erect, 

 stiff, sinistrorse ; capsule erect and symmetric or arcuate and 

 unsymmetric ; exannulate ; peristome double with the parts of 

 equal length ; teeth confluent at base, reddish-brown, articulate, 

 papillose, or transversely striate, the lamellae numerous ; inner 

 peristome yellow, papillose, with more or less of a basal mem- 

 brane, the segments carinate, more or less gaping along the 

 keel, cilia none ; spores medium size ; operculum rostrate from 

 a convex base ; calyptra cucullate. 



Two genera: GirgeiisoJinia, with one species, in the regions 

 bordering the North Pacific, and the following : 



1. CLIMACIUM Weber and Mohr. 



Mostly as characterized in the description of the family: 

 branches simple, or sometimes almost pinnate, unequal, at- 

 tenuate : branch-leaves lance-ligulate from a decurrent, auricled 

 base, bluntly to sharply acute, sharply serrate above ; inner 

 perichaetial leaves abruptly acuminate, entire, short-costate ; 

 costa of the leaves strong, ending below the apex, dorsally 

 toothed above: seta 15-45 mm. long, stiff, castaneous ; capsule 

 erect, symmetric, almost cylindric. castaneous ; teeth lance- 

 linear, acuminate, with a dark red border, with low papillose 

 dorsal plates, and with closely placed trabecula?; inner peris- 

 tome orange, vertically striate-papillose. segments linear, 

 carinately gaping, finally divided; spores .015-.020 mm., rusty, 

 warty ; calyptra long, narrow, enclosing whole capsule, cleft 

 on one side to apex, sometimes twisted. 



A widely distributed genus of about 7 species : 3 occurring 

 in North America and extending into our region. 



Key to the Specie^. 



a Branch-leaves indistinctly auricled and little plicate: median leaf- 

 cells about 8-10:1. 1. C. dcndroides. 

 a. Branch-leaves strongly and deeply plicate: median leaf-cells less 

 than 8:1. b. 

 b. Median cells about 5-7:1: plants of a tree-like form. 



2. C. aincricaintin. 



b. Median cells not more than two or three times as long as wide; 

 plants not so plainly dendroidal. 3. C. kindbergii 



