Britton: West Indian mosses 667 



Meteorium nigrescens Mitt. Jour. Linn. Soc. 12: 441. 1869. 

 Papillaria nigrescens Donnellii Aust. Musci App. Suppl. 14. 1898. 



Habitat and type locality: "On branches of trees, high 

 mountains of Jamaica. Collected on Anacardiiim occidentale." 



Distribution: Louisiana, Florida, and the Bahamas; Jamaica, 

 Cuba, Haiti, Porto Rico, Barbados, and Trinidad to South America ; 

 also in Lower California, Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and 

 Panama. Also in South America. 



Illustrations: Hedw. Sp. Muse. pi. 65. 1801 ; Schwaegr. Suppl. 

 pi. 244. 1828; Bryologist 7: 14. 1904. 



Exstccatae: Austin, Musci App. Suppl. 53J, Sull. Musci Cub. 

 Wright. 83. 



The var. Donnellii is simply a xerophytic condition in 

 which the leaves fall off and the terminal branches become 

 brittle, thus propagating the species; in fact, the fruit is seldom 

 found. Austin and J. D. Smith collected it at Caloosa, Florida, in 

 1876-78 and Mr. Severin Rapp has reported it from Sanford. In 

 all our Jamaica collections I have found it but once, on a calabash 

 tree. 



28. Prionodon densus (Sw.) C. Mtill. Bot. Zeit. 2: 130. 1844 

 Hypnnm densum Sw. Prod. 141. 1788. 



Hypnum densum Hedw. Sp. Muse. 282. 1801. 

 Hypnnm? densum Sw. Fl. Ind. Occ. 3: 1820. 1806. 

 Neckera crassa Hornsch. Fl. Brazil. 1: 56. 1840. 

 Pilotrichum densum C. Mull. Syn. 2: 160. 1850. 



Habitat and type locality: "In Blue Mountains, southern 

 Jamaica, on roots of trees." 



Distribution: Jamaica, Cuba, Haiti, Mexico, Costa Rica, and 

 Panama, 1,500-2,000 ft.; also in South America. 



Illustration: Hedw. Sp. Muse. pi. 74 (from Swartz' type): 

 Bot. Zeit. 2: pi. 1. 



Fxsiccatae: Pringle, Musci Mex. TO.4S3. 



29. Pilotrichum compositum (Sw.) P. Beauv. Prod. 82. 1805 

 Hypnum compositum Sw. Prod. 141. 1788. 



Neckera composita Hedw. Sp. Muse. 203. 1801. 

 Neckera composita Sw. Fl. Ind. Occ. 3: 1792. 1806. 



