[Reprinted from the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, 29: February, 1902.] 



Two new Western Mosses 



By R. S. Williams 

 (With Pi.atf.s 4 and 5) 



Eurhynchium Taylorae 



Evidently dioicous ; no ^ flowers found. In loose tufts with 

 stout, creeping stems (in places denuded of leaves and with dense 

 tufts of radicles) up to 20 cm. long and 0.44 mm. in diameter ; 

 cross sections show a well-defined central strand of numerous 

 small cells and outer wall of about three rows of small thick-walled 

 cells; branches rather short (i to 2 cm.), irregular and often 

 distant ; stem and larger branch leaves loosely spreading, ob- 

 tusely pointed, the branch leaves often truncate or praemorse at 

 tip, decurrent, serrulate all round to a little above the base, re- 

 flexed on margin above and near base and costate about ^ up, 

 the costa ending in spine and more or less papillose below; stem 

 leaves measure up to 2.5 x 1.5 mm., middle branch leaves 1.5 

 mm. and upper branch leaves 0.875 mm. long, the lowest branch 

 leaves very small, roundish and often ecostate ; inner perichaetial 

 leaves ecostate or very faintly costate, abruptly narrowed to a 

 slender flexuous serrulate point and irregularly toothed and 

 lacerate at base of point ; leaf-cells mostly linear-vermicular, 

 median .004 x .06 to .08 mm., apical very short and irregular, 

 alar forming an elongated not well-defined group of pale cells 

 about .008 mm. wide and two to four times longer, the basal cells 

 somewhat thickened and pitted, especially toward costa ; capsule 

 mostly horizontal, contracted more or less under the mouth when 

 dry, without lid 2.5 by 1.5 mm., lid with obliquely rostrate beak 

 2 mm. long, stout, smooth seta up to 15 mm. high.annulus of two 

 or three rows of cells; peristome teeth very slender-pointed, striate 

 below, papillose above, hyaline bordered, the segments more or 

 less split with mostly two somewhat appendiculate cilia between ; 

 stomata roundish, .025 mm. in diameter; spores nearly smooth, 

 up to .014 mm. 



In size this plant most nearly approaches E. Orcganiun of any 

 of our North American species but is less regularly pinnate with 

 smooth seta, etc. It much more closely resembles E. striatuin of 

 Europe, but is a more creeping plant with less divided stems and 

 leaves never acutely pointed as in that, which also lacks the spine 



at apex of costa. 



66 



