MISCELLANEA BRYOLOGICA 357 



which in view of the range of D. Billardieri are quite valueless. 

 He describes the cells as " brevioribus," but the upper cells are 

 no shorter than usual in D. Billardieri ; and he mentions certain 

 slight differences in the form of the alar cells which I find not 

 only to occur on New Zealand specimens but to be quite incon- 

 stant in Hampe's own type. 



Further, the Bourbon plant (D. dichotomum) is in all respects 

 identical with D. Billardieri. The leaves in the plants I have 

 seen are mostly shorter than in the commonest forms of the 

 Australasian moss, but quite identical forms are frequently found 

 among the latter. The quite muticous innermost perichsetial 

 bracts in the African plants would alone afford a strong presump- 

 tion in favour of their identity with D. Billardieri. 



Dicranum tabulare Rehm. M. afr. austr., no. 32, from Table 

 Mt., a sterile plant, is D. Billardieri. 



Dicranoloma scopareolum (G. M.) Par., from Madagascar, w^as 

 separated by G. Miiiler from the Bourbon D. dicJiotoinum princi- 

 pally on the ground of the narrower hyaline border of the leaves ; 

 but it can easily be matched by New Zealand forms of D. Billar- 

 dieri, and the width of the border is somewhat variable also in 

 the Madagascar plant itself. Eenauld suggests that it is only a 

 •' race regionale " of D. dichotoimim. 



Dicranoloma patentifolium Ren. & Gard. is distinguished from 

 D. scopareolum by the more serrated leaves and nerve, but 

 these characters bring it still closer to the ordinary forms of 

 D. Billardieri. 



If the identity of D. dicJiotomum with D. Billardieri be 

 accepted, the question of priority of the two names will have to 

 be faced. I do not propose to enter fully upon this now, except 

 to point out that Paris's synonomy is very incomplete. He gives 

 for Dicranum Billardieri as the earliest reference " Schwaegr. 

 Sup])l. ii, p. 70, t. 121 (1816) " ; for D. dichotomum, " CecalypJmm 

 dichotovium P. B. Prodr. p. 51 (1805)." But D. Billardieri is 

 referred to by P. Beauvais in the Prodrome, and dates from 

 Bridel, Musci Bee. ii, 181 (1798). D. Billardieri Brid. has 

 therefore the priority of date, but is probably to be considered 

 ruled out under the decision of the Brussels Gongress as ante- 

 dating the Species Muscorum, from which work it is omitted. In 

 that case both species would date from P. Beauv. Prodrome, in 

 which work Cecalyphum dichotomum has the priority of place. 

 D. Billardieri, however, is recognised and diagnosed, though on 

 a later page, and it would seem reasonable to retain that name. 



Some Australasian Species of Gryphidium. 



Some notes made while comparing the Kew specimens of 

 0. ovalifolium (G. M.) may be of interest. 



Brotherus cites this moss as " C. ovalifolium (G. M. als 

 Gryphgea) " • G. Miiiler, however, described it as Pilotrichum 

 ovalifolium, in Bot. Zeit. 1851, p. 564. He also cites C. Millleri 

 (Hamp.) Par., C. squarrulosum (Hamp.) Par., C.dilatatum (Hook, 

 fil. & Wils.) Par. ; but Paris places these all under Gyptodon, 



