BRYOPHYTA OF S. RHODESIA. 331 



Rhaphidostegium caespitosum (Sw.) Jaeg. — Tree trunk, Salis- 

 bury, alt. 4,900 feet (Eyles, 683). This is the remarkable form 

 with wide, obtuse, secund leaves, and the branches almost circin- 

 ately incurved when dry, described by Brotherus as Pterogoniella 

 stuhlmannii. It is, however, connected with ordinary forms of 

 R. caespitosum by intermediate stages. 



General distribution : Southern subtropical and temperate 

 zones generally. 



Rhaphidostegium br achy car pUm (Hampe) Jaeg. — Zimbabwe, 

 alt. 3,000 feet (Sim, 8825). 



General distribution: Cape Province, Natal, Transvaal, Zulu- 

 land, Portuguese Gaza Land. 



Brachytheciacfae. 



Brachythecium implicatum (Hornsch.) Jaeg. — Matopos, alt. 

 5,000 feet' (Sim, 8854); Umtali, on rock in shade, alt, 5,000 feet 

 (Eyles, 1722) St, 



General distribution: Cape Province, Transvaal, Natal, Zulu- 

 land, East tropical Africa. 



Rhynchostegium brachypterum (Hornsch.) Jaeg. — Matopos 

 (Wager', 891). 



General distribution : Cape Province, Natal. 



MOSSES FROM PORTUGUESE GAZA LAND. 



The small collection of mosses made by the Rev. H. A. Junod, 

 described below, supplemented by a further small collection made 

 by Dr. Sim in almost the same localities, are from a small .district 

 in the southern portion of Portuguese Gaza Land, about 25° .2' 

 S. Lat., and 32° .5' E. Long., and approximately thirty miles 

 from the Transvaal border, equidistant from that on the west 

 and the sea coast on the east; principally from the valley of the 

 Incomati River. For the most part the district is a sandy veld, 

 and mosses do not occur except by the river side or on trees and 

 rocks in shaded trea-clad creeks, etc. These spots are very 

 isolated, and even there the mosses are very few; but the two 

 collections, consisting in all of about seventeen gatherings, con- 

 tained some quite interesting things. 



The ecological conditions in the district are governed greatly 

 by the Incomati River, a large river rising in the Transvaal, 

 skirting Swaziland, and after a long detour northwards, returning 

 south-eastwards to join the sea near Lourenc^ Marques. At the 

 time of Dr. Sim's visit to the district, it was about 150 yards wide 

 where he crossed it; but frequently, owing to rains in the moun- 

 tainous country which it traverses in passing from the Transvaal, 

 these low-lying tracts are flooded to a wide extent even when the 

 weather is locally dry. Though south of the tropic, the climate 

 is usually hot, and the vegetation corresponds much more closely 

 with the xerophilous tropical flora further north than with the 



