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THE SPHAGNA OF AUSTRALIA AND TASMANIA. 

 By Rev. W. Walter Watts. 



When the first part of "Census Muscorum Australiensium" 

 (\Vatts & Whitelegge) was published (1902), much uncertainty 

 existed regarding our Australian Sphagna. The recent pub- 

 lication (December, 1911) of Dr. C. Warnstorf's exhaustive 

 monograph ("Sphagnologia Universalis"), in Engler's "Pflan- 

 zenreich," has, for the first time, made it possible to issue a 

 satisfactory summary of the Sphagna of Australia and Tas- 

 mania. 



"Sphagnologia Universalis" is Dr. Warnstorf's "Life- 

 work," in what he rightly claims to be "one of the most 

 difficult, as well as one of the most interesting" of plant- 

 groups. The extreme difficulty of the grovip is evidenced by 

 the large — one might well say, for the student, disconcei'ting 

 — number of varieties and forms of species that Dr. Warn- 

 storf has set up. The result of his studies is a bulky volume 

 of 550 closely-packed pages — a striking tribute to the author's 

 unremitting industry and patience in research. 



In a summary, on p.36, the author gives the names of 

 21 species for iVustralia, and 9 for Tasmania: but I have 

 found another Australian species (S. SulliL'ani) in the body 

 of the book, and also Australian records (coll. by Watts on 

 the Blue Mountains) of one of the Tasmanian species (S. 

 2Jseudo-rufesce/is). The name "<S'. comniufafiifn" in the sum- 

 mary, must be changed to ''S. uovo-zealandicuin." Thus, 23 

 species are recorded for Australia ; and to these must be added 

 six for Tasmania (not yet recorded for the mainland) : 29 in 

 all. 



In "Census Muscorum Austr.," 30 species are recorded for 

 Australia and Tasmania, and 25 of these stand, with one or 

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