bryophyta of s. rhodesia. 319 



Bryaceae.. 



Brachymenium borgenianum Hampe. — Ou earth in shade, 

 alt. 4,800 feet, and on clay bank, alt. 4,200 feet, Umtali (Eyles, 

 2765, 1737); Matopos, alt. 5,000 feet (Sim, 8845; Eyles, 936). 



General distribution: South-West Africa, Transvaal, Usam- 

 bara, Mauritius, Madagascar. 



Brachymenium pulchrum (Hook). — Odzani R. Valley, Manica, 

 Umtali (Teague, 164, comm. Sim); Zimbabwe, alt. 3,000 feet 

 (Sim, 8733, 8734, 8781), mostly c.fr. Matopos (Sim, 8853; Eyles, 

 1114); Makoni, Timaru, on granite hill, alt. 6,500 feet (Dr. Nobbs, 

 1316, in herb. Eyles). 



General distribution : Cape Province to East tropical Africa, 

 Rodriguez. 



B. campulotrichum (CM.) Broth. — Zimbabwe, alt. 3,000 

 feet (Sim, 8814) St. 



General distribution : Transvaal. 



Brachymenium variabile Dixon, in Smitbson. Misc. Colls. 69: 

 8:p.2 (1918).— Zimbabwe, alt, 3,000 feet (Sim, 8800, st., 8823, 

 c.fr); Rhodes' Grave, Matopos, alt. 5,000 feet (Sim, 8870, 8876, 

 887?;, St. 



No. 8823, the fruiting plant, agrees with the type from 

 Uganda, in the vegetative characters, and in the pendulous or 

 subpendulous capsules, but these are much more turgid than in 

 the Uganda specimens. I can only look upon it, however, as a 

 further aberration of this very variable species. 



General distribution : Uganda. 



Brachymenium rhodesiae sp. nov. Dixon. 



Orthocarpus. Autoicum ; flos rj 1 discoideus, ramulo termin- 

 alis. Habitu B. flexifolii Schimp., B. speirocladi CM., etc., sed 

 foliis multo flaccidioribus, sirds parum spiraliter torquatis, late 

 oblongo-ovatis, nee spathulatis, perobtusis, perconcavis, margini- 

 bus perlate recurvis, subinteyris, anyustissinu limbatis. Seta 

 2 cm. alta vel paullo ultra, theca erecta, crassiuscule fusiformis, 

 microstoma, operculo breviter conico, obtuso. Peristomii dentes 

 anguste lanceolati, in feme saturate rubri, dorso transverse striolati, 

 lamellis hand prominentibus; endostomii membrana adhaerens, 

 processubus nulli ? Spori 18p, ad 22/x. 



Habitat : On granite hill, alt. 6,500 feet, Makoni (Eyles, 

 1317a); on dead wood in bush, Umtali, 4,000 feet (Eyles, 1730). 



Differs from nearly all the allied autoicous species in the 

 leaves soft and flaccid, scarcely spirally twisted when dry, not 

 narrowed below nor spathulate, very concave and obtuse, with 

 the margins widely recurved, the border very narrow and not 

 cartilaginous, entire or nearly so. There seems some doubt as to 

 the characters of B. capitulatum Mitt., but the leaves are 

 described as of different texture and structure, and do not at all 

 agree with those of the present plant, B. revolutum Broth, has 

 very long seta and horizontal or pendulous capsules. 



