479 (17) 



TORTULACEAE. 



The treatment of this group by Mitten in his " Musci Austro- 

 Americani " is far from satisfactory. It has seemed best, however, 

 to follow him in this as in the other families. Duplicates of these 

 were not sent to Dr. C. MiJller, as they had not been carefully 

 studied nor compared at that time. Later M. Bescherelle had d 

 set of them, and made one or two comparisons for me with Mon- 

 tagne's types at the Jardin des Plantes. It will require more study 

 and comparison with a more modern treatment of the family, 

 before the specimens listed can be thoroughly understood. 



Tortilla {Trichostojmun) contortifolium Mitt.? Unduavi, 8,ooo 

 ft. October, 1885 (3126). 



There were no specimens of this species at Kew; hence these 

 specimens were named only from the description on page 147 of 

 Mitten's Musci Austro-Americani. They were shown to Mitten 

 and sent to M. Bescherelle, but should be compared with Spruce, 

 " No. 213, Andes Quitenses, Chimborazo (loooo ped.)" 



ToRTULA (Z/'/cV/^jT^w///;//) SEMiVAGiNATUM Sch. mss. in Herb., no. 



161 8. Mandon, Plantae Andium Boliviensium. De Capanuta 



a Songo, 18 Obr., 1857, ^^^ Herb. Schimper. Vicinius So- 



rata, April, 1858, in Herb. Hooker. Near Yungas, 4000 ft., 



1885, in Herb. Rusby, no. 3128. 



Plants 2-3 cm. high, dark below, red-brown above ; stems 

 simple or branching by subapical innovations 1-2 cm. high; 

 leaves curled and twisted when dry, spreading when moist from 

 an erect, glossy claspmg base, the lanceolate blade 2 mm. long, 

 suddenly bent and contracted from the hyaline base, i mm. long, 

 upper cells small, dense and with thickened irregular walls and 

 small, blunt papillae, decurrent at the margins a short distance on 

 each side of the clasping base, vein large, yellow, ending in the 

 acute apex. Dioecious? Perichetial leaves smaller, with a longer, 

 more sheathing base. Pedicels 5-15 mm. long, twisted in two 

 directions ; capsules 2-3 mm. long, straight, cylindric, smaller at 

 the mouth; lid with a long curved beak, annulus large, falling 

 with the lid ; peristome fragile, pale, papillose, teeth long and 

 slender, thickened and united at the basal joints, .not twisted. 



Closely related to T. decolorans Hpe., from which it differs in 



its larger size, longer, more spreading and clasping leaves and paler 



not twisted peristome. 



