102 THE JOURNAL OF IJOTANY 



:\rulans,^e, Uo-aiula ; Nov. 1920; i?. A. Biimmpv (-1080 a) ; and, a.i^aln, 

 April 1921.'' i^)rt St. Jolm's, Cape Prov., S. Africa, 1921 ; //. A. 

 Waf/er (955) ; Kijxno, Ug-aiula, R. A. Dummcr (1214). 



A very remarkable little })lant, combining cnrion.slv the gameto- 

 phvte characters of Dicranacece with the sporophyte of Fisnidens. 



" The protonema evidently persists for some yeai-s, and stems of 

 two or more years' standing may be found side by side on it. These 

 are ver}^ scattered and very inconspicuous. The peristome teeth 

 with the upper internal lamelhe of the mulivided part highly cristate 

 are exactly as they are found in numerous of the smaller species 

 of FissUlens, belonging to several sections (mostly tropical), e.g., 

 F. qhtuculus C. M. {cf. Brotherus, Jlusci. vol. i. tig. 218, and 

 F. kvsul Dixon in Journ. Bot. 1910, 145. t. 505 a). When dry the 

 teeth are very widely spreading ; on moistening they become stronu'ly 

 injlexed about the middle of the imdivided pai't, the upper part dis- 

 appearing into the cavity of the capsule entirely. As this, too, is 

 markedlv the case with the s])ecies of F/sside/is above referred to, it 

 is ]H-obai3le that the cristate lamelhu play some part in this highly- 

 marked hygroscopic action. 



The seta varies greatly in length ; it is extremely delicate, yellow 

 at maturity, but later on becoming red. 



The taxonomic position of the genus is uncertain. The vegeta- 

 tive characters suggest affinity with the Srlit/erircP (the leaves some- 

 what sugo-est Troc)iol))'j/um) or DicranclJecr; but the fruiting charac- 

 ters, the minute, pendulous or subpendulous capsule, peristome, large 

 spores, &c., are quite distinct. 



It is curious that this ])lant, hitherto undetected, should have 

 been gathered in two so widely distinct localities within a few nu)nths, 

 at most, of one another. 



Potttace.t:. 



Subfam. Trichostomea'. 

 Chionoloma Dixon, gen. nov. 

 Stirps habitu Tortellarnm robustiorum, sed rigidior; densifolia, 

 foliis siccis rigide incurvo-Hexuosis vel incurvo-contortis, marginibus 

 valde undulatis ; e basi latiore subvaginante elongate lineari-lanceo- 

 latis acutis, transverse undulatis. Areolatio superior e cellulis densis, 

 obscuris, opacis instructa, limbo albo lato (vetustate aurantiaco) 

 e cellulis hyalinis, linearibus. incrassatis, 8-5 seriatis instructo, 

 medium folium superante ; cellulis basilaribus elongatis, linearibus, 

 aurantiacis. Fructus ignotus. 



Chicnoloma induratum (Mitt.l Dixon, sp. nov. 

 {Tori Ilia indnrata Mitt, in Herb.) 

 Catiles 2-3 cm. alti vel supra robusti, cetate rufescentes, parce 

 ramosi. Folia confertissima, erecto-patentia, sicca nonnulla rigide 

 leniter inciu'vo-flexuosa, alia apice fortiter incurvo-contorta ; costa 

 dorso baud nitida; 5-7 mm. longa ; e basi semivaginante aurantiaca 

 longe lineari-lanceolata, apice angustata, acuta vel ol)tusiuscula, 

 concava, sul)rigida, fragilia, transverse undulata (marginibus siccitate 

 valde undulatis) ; Integra, marginibus crectis, apicem versus solum 



