12 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 85 



TORTULA SUBNIGRA Mitt. Muse. Austr. Amer. 164. 1869 



The position of this moss has remained uncertain until now. Jaeger 

 classified it as a Barhula. Brotherus ^ thought that perhaps it was a 

 Didymodon. Lastly, J. Cardot, who saw its capsules in good condition, 

 verified the absence of a peristome and asked ' if it might not be 

 convenient to separate Mitten's species from true Tortula to constitute 

 the type of a new subgenus. 



Mr. Bartram and myself think that we must go further. Trans- 

 verse sections of the leaves show that the costa possesses the structure 

 of the Trichostomoideae and not of the Pottioideae. Another peculiar 

 fact is that the lamina is composed of two layers of cells, except at 

 the margin. These noteworthy characters, in addition to that presented 

 by the sporophyte, justify the creation of a new genus. We are 

 happy to dedicate this Mexican genus to our eminent friend J. Cardot, 

 whose last and precious works contributed so much to a better under- 

 standing of the bryological flora of Mexico, and who has enriched 

 it with such a large number of new species. 



NEOCARDOTIA Ther. & Bartr., gen. nov. 



Caulis erectus. Folia sicca crispata, humore patulo-squarrosa, cari- 

 nata, acuta, marginibus inf erne revolutis, superne serratis ; rete opaco, 

 bistratoso ; cellulis basilaribus linearibus, laevibus, hyalinis, caeteris 

 minutis, dense papillosis ; costa breviter excurrente, in sectione trans- 

 versali e strato medio cellulis eurycystis et stereidis ventralibus et 

 dorsalibus composita. Folia perichaetialia perlonga, erecta, vaginantia ; 

 capsula erecta, cylindrica, symmetrica, gymnostoma, annulata ; opercvi- 

 lum breviter conicum, cellulis recte seriatis ; sporae laeves. 



The affinities of the genus Ncocardotia are with the genus Lcpto- 

 dontimn, as much through the habit of the plant as by its serrated 

 cauline leaves and strongly sheathing perichaetial leaves, 2 to 3 times 

 larger than the stem leaves. 



A single species : 



NEOCARDOTIA SUBNIGRA (Mitt.) Ther. & Bartr., comb. nov. 



Tortula siibnigra Mitt. Muse. Austr. Anicr. 164. 1869. 



Caespites nigrescenti-virides ; caulis 2-4 cm. altus. Folia 3.5-4 mm. 

 longa, I mm. lata ; costa basi 60-80 /a, dorso rugulosa ; cellulis laminae 

 6-y fx, paulum incrassatis, papillis minutis, obtusis ; pedicellus 1 cm. 



' E. & P. Nat. Pflanzcntani. i'': 405. 1902; ed. 2, 10:273. 1924. 

 ''Rev. P>ryol. 38: loi. 191 1. 



