BRYOl'HYTA OF S. RHODESIA. 323 



Folia, saepius striata falcato-secunda, lanceolata, baud plicata, 

 sicca leniter flexuosa, marginibus, plants vel subplanis, conferte 

 denticulatis; costa validiuscula, in aristam sat validam denticula- 

 tam hand longe excurrens. Cellulae omnes sat laxae, pellucidae, 

 leniter papillosae, basin versus laxiores, longiores. 



Autoica. Flos o* gemmiformis, propr perichaetium situs, 

 turgidifs, antheridiis atque paraphysibus clavatis mulfcis. Florem 

 (f aliquando in cauli proprio terminalem, inde ob innomationem 

 singulam lateralem factum vidi. Bracteae perigoniales internae e 

 basi lata concava abrupte rigicle subulatae. Seta 1 cm. ad 1.5 cm. 

 alta, tenuis. Theca subglobosa, microstoma, nutans, leptodermica, 

 sicca laevis vel leniter tantum plicata, exothecii cellulae laxae, 

 hexagonae vel subquadratae, parietibus firmis nee tamen incras- 

 satis. Peristomium imperfect urn, nunc rudimentarium, nunc e 

 dentibus brevibus, pallide rubris, irregularibus ; endostomium 

 male evolutum, e processubus rudiment ariis instructum. 



Habitat: Odzani Valley, Manica district, Umtali, Eastern 

 l^hodesia (A. J. Teague, 253). 



A very distinct species, closely allied in the foliation and 

 inflorescence to the widely spread Asiatic species P. falcata (Hook) ; 

 but differing in the thin-walled capsule, smooth, or lightly plicate 

 only when dry at times, and the peristome rudimentary, or at 

 least ill developed. 



POLYTRICHACEAE. 



Catharinea androgyna CM. — Mt. Pene, alt. 7,000 feet, 

 Swynnerton (Eyles, 6021); Eyles (8). 



(reiieral distribution : Cape Province, Natal, Transvaal, Zulu- 

 land. 



Pogonatum capense CM. — Victoria Falls, alt. 3,000 feet (Sim, 

 8932). ' 



General distribution : Cape Province, Transvaal, Natal. 



Polytrichum commune L. var. trichodes (Rehm.) Dixon 

 comb. nov. Syn. Polytrichum trichodes Rehm. e CM. in Hedwig., 

 38, p. 63 (1899); Victoria Falls, Jas. Sim (Sim, 7393) St.; 

 Matopos, alt. 5,000 feet (Eyles, 1039) St, 



The principal point about this plant is the long arista of the 

 leaf, formed by the excurrence of the nerve, in a terete, spinulo?e 

 hair, usually of 1 mm. to 2 mm. in length. It it quite clearly 

 only a derivative of P. commune , and it is probably distributed 

 throughout some considerable part of the area of that species, 

 and the above name may be found to be antedated by some earlier 

 specific one. 



The type of P. commune also occurs in Rhodesia, probably 

 not very rarely; but I have it only in one gathering, viz., Inyanga, 

 alt. 6,000 feet, Dr. Nobbs (Eyles, 1360). 



Polutrichum commune var. minus Weis. — Zimbabwe, alt, 

 3,000 feet (Sim, 8792); Khami Ruins, alt, 5,000 feet (Sim, 8844). 



