73 



MISCELLANEA BKYOLOGICA.— VI. 

 By H. N. Dixot^, M.A., F.L.S. 



(Continued from Journ. Bot. 1916, p. 359.) 



Ch^tomiteium Deplanchei Duby, and its allies. 



Ghcetomitrium Geheehii was described by Brotherus in Oefv. 

 af Finska Vet.-Soc. Foerh. xxxvii. 165 (1895), from Queensland and 

 l^apua. It is there stated to be allied to C. torquescens Brj. Jav., 

 C. depressum Mitt., and C. Deplancliei Duby. The di:fferentiating 

 characters from these species are not mentioned. In the key to 

 Ch(Btomitrium in the Miisci Brotherus makes the following 

 distinctions : — 



Seta faintly papillose only near the summit; 



branches flattened ; leaves scarcely concave ... C. Deplancliei. 



Seta clearly papillose for some distance down- 

 wards ; branches scarcely flattened ; leaves very { p j. -l-j. 



concave \ ri ^ z /.••' 



[ U. (jreheebii. 



C. Geheehii Broth, is recorded by Brotherus and Watts in the 

 " Mosses of the New Hebrides " (Journ. Proc. Roy. Soc. N.S. Wales, 

 xlix. 146), as collected by Bowie in Tongoa Santo (under the 

 numbers 110 J and 177 in Herb. Watts), and a sterile specimen of 

 this (No. 177) was sent me b}^ the Rev. W. W. Watts. I have also 

 in my collection a specimen of what is clearly the same gathering 

 (Tongoa Santo, leg. Bowie) sent me by Mr. G. Webster (No. 581) : 

 this is in fruit, and comparison with the description of C. GeJieehii 

 showed one or two distinct differences from that. G. Geheehii 

 should have a seta of 1 cm., scaberulous throughout except at the 

 base ; the capsule sub-horizontal, curved, and the leaf margin erect. 

 The New Hebrides specimen showed setae considerably above 1 cm., 

 reaching to 1"5 cm., scaberulous onl}^ at the apex; the capsule erect 

 or nearly so, and practically symmetrical, not or scarcely curved ; 

 while the leaves had the margin distinctly reflexed, especially near 

 the apex, where the leaf is suddenly contracted in the curious way 

 characteristic of several species of this genus. Correspondence with 

 Rev. W. W. Watts established the fact that these differences existed 

 in his specimens also, and it seemed clear that the New Hebrides 

 plant represented an allied but distinct species, probably new. Mr. 

 Watts consulted Dr. Brotherus on the matter, but communications 

 were entirely cut off by the war, and have not yet been re-opened. 



Before describing it as new, I thought it necessary to compare 

 the allied Oceanic species, especially C. tahitense (Sull.) and C De- 

 plancliei Duby. A sterile specimen of C. tahitense at Kew showed 

 a very similar plant, but with the leaves much shorter and more 

 shortly acuminate and less contracted below the apex, and the margin 

 very little reflexed. 



I then examined C. Deplanchei in the British Museum collection. 

 The specimen in Herb. Hampe showed leaves almost exactly like 

 JouENAL or BotjlNt. — Vol. 57. [Apeil, 1919.] h 



