﻿MOSSES FROM MiTTEn's HERBARIUM 109 



resembling R. tenuifolium, and no doubt easily mistaken for it. 

 The perichaetial bracts in R. tenuifolium are however squarrosely 

 spreading with longly acuminate points, while here they are shortly 

 acuminate and the inner ones at least straight and erect. In this 

 respect R, aristatum agrees, but that is a smaller, dark green, 

 not glossy plant, having fine, almost piliferous leaf points, and 

 shorter oblong capsule, with a much shorter beak to the lid. 



The capsule in the present species is very distinct, but it must 

 be premised that in all the species of the group the capsule if 

 dried before maturity becomes, even if the lid falls off, more or less 

 narrowly cylindrical, curved, and strongly contracted below the 

 mouth, especially on the lower side. Well-ripened capsules, if 

 possible operculate, are necessary to proper study. In R. tenui- 

 folium and the two cited species these will be found to be more or 

 less turgid, oblong-elliptical, and usually horizontal, becoming as a 

 rule contracted below the mouth. In the newly described species 

 they are narrowly cylindrical at all stages, very slightly curved 

 and suberect, and except when dried before maturity are very little 

 or not at all constricted below the mouth when dry. 



The time of maturing fruit appears also to be different. In 

 R. tenuifolium the capsules mature about May-June, and I have 

 specimens from Mr. D, Petrie collected in August with many of 

 the lids still in situ. In R. cylindritheca on the contrary specimens 

 collected in September show the capsules quite immature, while 

 others gathered in February have the fruits nearly all deoperculate. 



It may be noted that there appears to be an error in Flora Tas- 

 maniae, pi. 176, where the figures of the perichaetia in H. aristatum 

 and H. collatum (= R. tenuifolium) seem to have been transposed. 

 The bracts in H. aristatum are described by Mitten and Wilson 

 as erect, while those of H. collatum are described by Wilson as 

 "perich. longius acuminatis, recurvis"; but these characters are 

 exactly reversed in the figures, and I take it there was an accidental 

 transposition of the drawings of the two organs. 

 , England 



