478 Transactions. — Botany. 



Art. XLIII. — Further Notes on the New Zealand Musci : 

 Genus Trichostomum, loith Descriptions of some New 

 Species. 



By Egbert Brown. 



[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 4th November, 



1S96.] 



Plates XXXIX.-XLIII. 



In the genus Trichostomum many of the plants are very 

 minute, growing in patches or small tufts, and are generally 

 found at low elevations on damp rocks or clay banks. Plants 

 found in the former habitat are never found in the latter, and 

 vice versa. The fruiting period of this genus is generally from 

 the beginning of September to the end of November. On the 

 capsules reaching maturity dehiscence speedily takes place, 

 and it is very difficult after that stage has been reached to 

 find operculums or perfect peristomes, these having been dis- 

 persed by the strong winds which pi-evail about that season. 



I have described and figured all the New Zealand species 

 of this genus which have been collected by me during a large 

 number of years. There \vill also be found some plants de- 

 scribed and figured which lack some of their generic parts 

 — viz., peristome or calyptra. Owing to this want their 

 position in the genus is somewhat doubtful. I have provi- 

 sionally placed them here, as the genus Trichostomum is the 

 one to which they have apparently the closest affinity, owing 

 to the similarity in form of the capsule, &c. 



I have, as usual, experienced an immense amount of diffi- 

 culty in attempting to identify some of the plants collected by 

 me with those already described (and some of them figured) 

 in Hooker's " Flora of New Zealand," Schimper's Mus. Eur. 

 and Brio. Brit., ow-ing to the brief and incomplete descriptions, 

 and also little or incorrect figuring. 



I have only been enabled, with satisfaction to myself, 

 to identify three — viz., T. laxifolium, T. elongatum, and T. 

 sctosuvi — but perhaps I may be wrong even here. For the 

 assistance of those who may be desirous of following up this 

 interesting branch of botany, I have carefully figured these 

 three plants, but not described them. 



T. lingulatum is very correctly described and drawn in 

 Hooker's "Flora of New Zealand," and I have had no diffi- 

 culty in satisfactorily establishing its identity, so I have not 

 figured this moss. It used to grow near the Christchurch 

 Museum, but I have not come across it now for a number of 

 years. 



It is just possible I may have described and drawn plants 



