﻿MOSSES FROM MiTTEN's HERBARIUM 97 



vestitus. Folia conferta, flexuosa, erecto-patentia, haud falcata, 

 faciliter emollita, sicca valde contorta, 4-5 mm. longa, basin 

 versus i mm. lata, carinato-concava, e basi oblonga breviter late 

 lanceolaia, sensim ad apicem latum obtusum angustata, marginibus 

 infra angustissime reflexis, supra planis; integerrimis, toto margine 

 incrassato nee bistratoso; costa valida, prope basin ad 150 /x lata, 

 supra sensim angustata, ad apicem vel paullo infra soluta; sectione 

 duces plures (6 vel ultra) in seriebus duabus, fascicules stereide- 

 arum duos, cellulas externas parvas incrassatas exhibens, Rete 

 perdensum, e cellulis minutis (5-8 m) irregularibus, plerumque 

 angulatis, subincrassatis, opacis, inferne sensim majoribus elon- 

 gatis rectangularibus, infimis longe lineari-rectangularibus pel- 

 lucidis laxiusculis instructum; marginalibus basin versus seriebus 

 circa sex latioribus, sat laxe rectangularibus, limbum pellucidiorem, 

 circa quartam partem folii longitudinem attingentem, formantibus, 

 serie unica marginali e cellulis multo brevioribus subquadratis 

 composita. 



Fructus ignotus. 



Habitat: at bottom of creeks, Kaitangata, Otago, New 

 Zealand, September, 1892, i). Petrie. 



A very interesting species of a genus hitherto unknown in the 

 southern hemisphere. The gradually tapering but obtuse leaves 

 with the nerve ceasing below the apex are unlike any, I believe, 

 of the northern species, while the mode of thickening of the leaf 

 margin is also, I believe, unique in the genus, and unusual in the 

 whole range of mosses, being effected not by an increase in the 

 number of cell-layers, but in the vertical diameter of the cells, 

 resulting in a thickening of varying degree, greater towards the 

 base of the leaf, but causing at times an increase of at least three 

 times the normal thickness of the lamina. 



It is much to be hoped that this plant should be re-found — 

 it should not be difficult — and further studied. 



Macromitrium erosulum Mitt, and allied species 



These New Zealand species form a somewhat difficult group, 

 and several species have been described on what appear to be un- 

 satisfactory grounds. Mitten compares his M. erosulum with M. 

 prorepens (Hook.) Schwaegr., separating it by the direction of the 

 leaves when dry, their narrower bases, upper portion longer, more 

 obtuse, cells larger and less obscure (the suspected difference in inflo- 

 es cen ce is in no way supported , I believe, by later observations) . I 



