382 



Evans: New West Indian Lejeuneae 



bracts the lobes are usually spinose- dentate, the teeth being larger, 

 fewer, and more irregular than in O. lunulata, and the same differ- 

 ence is shown by the lateral wings of the perianth. The anther- 

 idial spikes yield differential characters which are even more 

 important. Although the number of bracts which they bear is 

 no larger than in 0. lunulata, the spikes appear longer because 

 the bracts are further apart and sometimes do not overlap at all. 

 The lobes of the bracts show but few modifications when compared 

 with ordinary branch-leaves, and the bracteoles are distant instead 

 of being imbricated. The sexual branches in 0. longispica scarcely 

 adhere to the substratum because the radicelliferous discs on the 

 underleaves are poorly developed and rarely give rise to rhizoids. 

 Most of the peculiarities which separate the new species from 0. 

 lunulata will also separate it from the paroicous 0. Sieberiana 

 In exceptional cases the underleaves and bracts in this species are 

 entire and the postical surface of the perianth shows a few scattered 

 teeth in the upper part, but the resemblance to 0. longispica stops 

 here. The plants are fully as robust as in 0. lunulata, the lobules 

 bear several teeth along the free margin, and the short male spikes 

 have imbricated bracteoles. 



Another species which bears a strong resemblance to 0. longi- 

 spica is Phragmicoma affixa Tayl.,* which also seems to be con- 

 Jamaica. Through the kindness of Pro- 



fessor Farlow the writer has been able to examine the type mate- 

 rial of this species from the Taylor herbarium. It grew mixed 

 with Radula Grevilleana Tayl. on leaves of Danaea alata and con- 

 sists of a kw fragmentary female plants with perianths. The spe- 

 cies should apparently be referred to Odontolejeunea, in spite of the 

 fact that the leaves are much less toothed than is usual, while the 

 wings of the perianth are either entire or subdenticulate. The 

 double innovations which subtend the female flowers would also 

 be somewhat aberrant in this genus. All of these peculiarities 

 will help to separate P. affixa from 'a longispica. The lobules 

 m the two species are very similar, but in P. affixa there are 

 sometimes indications of a second tooth between the apical tooth 

 and the base ; the apical tooth itself consists of only one or two 



cells and bears the hyaline papilla on its inner surface. The leaf; 



* 



Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ao : 38a 1847. 



