as to be easily overlooked, unless expressly sought 

 for. In the next place he has not caught the pecu- 

 liar character of the capsule, which splits into two 

 halves, one of which drops off, leaving the other per- 

 sistent on the end of the peduncle. The capsule, 

 too, is 2-'celled but which, owing to the paitition easily 

 separating from the valves, can scarcely be detected 

 in a transverse section. The distinction between this 

 and Dicrcea is certainly not easily made out in this 



frondose herbs, flowers terminal, sometimes sub- 



racemose. 



1918-4. Mniopsis Hookeriana (Tul.), rhizoma 

 frond-like, thick, variously repand, gemmiferous on 

 the margin: buds (gemmae) one-flowered: leaves 

 few, short or scale-l3ce, ovate oblong, entu-e, dlsti- 

 chouslyequitant: stigmas "anguloso-elongatis," entire, 



distinct, Tul. 

 species, though quite possible under the guidance of ^^ risers near Bombay, Law. The specunens re- 

 a knowledge of the characters, and the points to be Presented were communicated by Mr. Law. 



1918-5. Mniopsis Johnsonii (R. W.), rhizoma 

 decumbent, sub-orbicular, variously repand on the 

 margin; flower-buds scattered over the surface, 1- 

 flowered: leaves 4-6, short, orate, obtuse, imbricat- 

 ing: stigmas dentiform: capsule globose, ecostate. 



Rivers in Malabar, Rev. E, Johnson. 



looked for, which the di'aftsman did not possess, and 

 I was not present to direct him. 



191 8-L PoDosTEMON suBULATus (Gardner, Tul.), 

 stem thick, rugous, short, simple or several, dichoto- 

 mous; branches few, close-packed, spreading, short, 

 densely leafy: limb of the leaves long, linear, subulate, 

 simple, the dilated sheath stem-clasping : stamens in- 

 serted near the middle of the pedicel. Tul. 



Rivers in Ceylon. Mahawalle Gunga near Holnicut, 

 Fronds rigid, erect, terete, dichotomously branch- 

 ed : branches densely floriferous : flowers distichous 

 (two-ranked); scales solitary, much elongated, sub- 

 ulate, coriaceous: spathe 3-4-lobed, rough; capsule 

 S-ribbed. G. 



■ 



The sheath of the leaves or scales is coriaceous, not 

 the prolongation; at least as seen in di'ied specimens. 



Hydrobryum (Endlicher). 



Gen. Char. Involucre small, ellipsoid, bladder- 

 shaped, splitting along one side only, and then boat- 

 shaped, two-valved. Staminodes two, linear, long. 

 Stamens 2, monadelphous. Pollen didymous. Stig- 

 mas two, sometimes tooth-like, entire; sometimes di- 

 lated, membranous, wedge-shaped, toothed. Capsule 

 with 8-12 slight ribs. — Frondose herbs with scattered 

 floriferous buds (gemmae) and few leaves. 



1918-2. Htdrobrtum oJLiVACEUM (Tul., Podoste- 

 mon oUvaceus^ Gard.), rhizoma membranaceous, lichen- 

 like, repandly foveolate, olive-gi'een : buds foliaceous, 



scattered, 1 -flowered : leaves boat-shaped, small: cap- 

 sule 8-nerved. 



Rivers in Ceylon. Mahawalle near Holnicut. 

 Mahawalle below Peradenia. 



Fronds decumbent, sub-orbicular, lobed, olive-co- 

 loured: flowers exserted, from the upper pai-t of the 



frond: scales 4-distichous, imbricating, obtuse: spathe 

 dehiscing longitudinally, glabrous ; capsule 8-ribbed. 



1918-3. Hydrobryum griseum (Tul., Pod. Gri- 

 seus^ Gard.), rhizoma unequal, repand, greyish: folia- 

 ceous buds numerous : capsule 8-nerved, 



Pycarrah river, Neilgherries. 



Fronds decumbent, sub-orbicular; lobes undulated, 

 greyish: flowers springing from the upper part of 

 the frond ; scales six distichous, imbricating, obtuse : 

 spathe somewhat 2-valved, rough ; capsule 8-nerved. 



•Very near the preceding, but is considered by Mr. 

 Gardner sufficiently distinct. 



Mniopsis (Martins). 



Gen. Char. Involucre utriform, obovate, some- 

 what tubular, mouth several-lobed or toothed. Sta- 

 minodes 2-3, linear, the middle one attached to the 

 antheriferous filament, or wanting. Stamens 3, mona- 

 delphous. Pollen didymous. Stigmas sometimes thick, 

 several-lobed; sometimes slightly elongated, entire, 

 Capsule spherical, quite smooth. Small, caulescent or 



This seems to me a species fitted to unite Hydro* 

 hryum and Mniopsis, having nearly the spathe of 

 the one, and capsule of the other, I am not quite 

 certain to which of the two organs the higher generic 

 value attaches, but presuming that it is the capsule, 

 I have referred this species to Mniopsis ; if the higher 

 value belongs to the spathe or involucre, then it miist, 

 I presume, be transferred to Hydrobryum. 



Dalzellia (R. W., Lawia^ Tulasne). 



Gbn. Char. Perigonium calycine, 3-parted, vein- 

 less, lobes equal, imbricated in sestivation. Stamens 

 3, free, alternate with the lobes of the perianth. 

 Stigmas 3, sessile, lineai*, short, diverging. Capsule 

 3-celled, longitudinally 9-ribbed. Small thrattiforni 

 or frondose plants, broadly expanding on all sides, or 

 linearly-branched : leaves entire, the interior ones 

 of each one-flowered, bud connate into an open tube : 

 flowers scattered and terminal. 



Feeling myself under the necessity of changing 

 Tulasne's generic name, I have substituted his own 

 very deserving one for that of my respected friend 

 Mr. Law, to whom I had the honor of dedicating 

 a genus so long ago as 1845, -N'o. 1070 of this work, 

 and republished it in the Calcutta Journal of Natural 

 History in July 1846, with the following note : 



" A short time before the late Mr. Griffith left Cal- 

 cutta for Malacca, I sent him drawings of two species 

 of Podosfemon and specimens of several others, as 

 materials towards a monograph of the Indian species 

 of the order, wliich he then contemplated undertaking. 

 Among those sent was one from Mr. Law, which 

 we considered the type of a new genus, and which 

 (at my suggestion) was to have been dedicated to its 

 discoverer. Unfortunately the monogi'aph, so far at 

 least as I have heard, was never written ; I therefore 

 took advantage of the opportunity which this plant 



presented, while naming a figure of it for my Icones, 

 of placing Mr. Law's name permanently on the re- 

 cords of Botany, by dedicating the genus to him, 



though, perhaps, less appropriately than if the plant 

 had been found by himself." 



This note will, I trust, remove all doubts on the sub- 

 ject of priority, as a manuscript name can never 

 take precedence of one defined and published. This 

 however has been done in the case of Giesehia rubella^ 

 a MS. name at the time my G. moUuginoides was 

 published in the same paper, but which latter, not- 

 withstanding its priority of publication, is now quot- 

 ed as a synonyme. To prevent a repetition of such 

 supercession I take this opportunity of noticing the 

 circumstance. 



( 34 ) 



