Vol. 45 No. 11 
BULLETIN 
OF THE 
TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB 
NOVEMBER, 1918 
Revision of the North American species of Encalypta 
Dorotuy COKER 
(WITH PLATES, 13 AND I4) 
The family Encalyptaceae, of which there is only one genus, 
Encalypta, is closely related to the Pottiaceae, because of the 
twisted and crisped habit of its leaves when dry, the small, thick- 
walled, very papillose cells of the upper portion of the leaves, 
and the large hyaline cells at the base. The costa also is strong 
and often excurrent. The genus is noted for the great diversity 
in the structure of its peristome, ranging from double, with several 
remarkable variations, to single or absent. 
Hedwig (4, p. 88), in 1782, based the genus Leersia on two spe- 
cies, Bryum pulvinatum and B. extinctorium, referring the latter 
to its Linnean synonym (see p. 103 in the descriptions of figures 
19 and 24). Of these two species Bryum pulvinatum, which is a 
Grimmia, precedes B. extinctorium; and since Grimmia, according 
to Ehrhart (6, p. 176), antedates Leersia by one year, the name 
Leersia has been discarded. Hence, the adoption of the name 
Encalypta Schreb., 1791 (9, p- 759), instead of Leersia Hedw., 
1782, is due to the fact that Leersia, which in reality antedates 
Encalypta, was originally used by Hedwig to include Grimmia. 
Subsequently Hedwig, in 1801 (12, pp. 60-63), accepted the name 
ncalypta in place of Leersia. 
Following the older authors, Lesquereux and James (32, pp. 
180-184) placed Encalypta under the Orthotrichaceae, and Schim- 
[The Butterin for October (45: 391-432. pl. 10-12) was issued October 19, 1918.] 
433 
