69 



The Mosses of Monroe County. 



By F. L. Pickett and Mildkio!) Nothnaokl. 



1'Ik' 'inly lists of Indituiu musses the writer has been able to tiiul are 

 as follows : A list of (iO species reported from Jefferson County by A. H. 

 Young in 1876, and published in the 15otanical Gazette of that date ; a list 

 of 13 species reported by W. S. Blatchley in March, 1887, and included in 

 a thesis listing the plants of Monroe County under that date; a list of 49 

 species reported by L. M. Underwood in the I'roc. Ind. Acad. Sci. for 1893 ; 

 a list of species reported by Guy Wilson from Hamilton County in the 

 I'roc. Ind. Acad. Sci. for 1S94. Because of the nieageniess of some of 

 these lists and the changes in classification resulting from careful study 

 of mosses sinc,^ the publication of the first of these lists, there seems to he 

 room for a new check list of Indiana mosses. As a beginning of such a 

 list the i)resent report is presented. 



Early in 1911 a small collection of mosses maturing their spores in 

 spring and early summer was made. A fuller collection of forms fruiting 

 in fall and early winter was made in 1912. The material of this later 

 collection has been carefully identified, and that of the earlier collection 

 reindentified, altogether making a list of 51 species and 3 varieties from 34 

 genera and 12 families. With the exception of forms easily determined, 

 only fruitiiig fcuins have been considered. The list as given includes but 

 five sterile forms. 



In every case herbarium prejiarations have been made. These are of 

 two kinds. Fresh specimens of individual plants and of small typical 

 groups were taken from a moist chamber and quickly dried under a pres- 

 sure of lOO i)(innds to l.">() ]inimds and then glued to cards for preservation 

 in envelopes on herbarium sheets. Other specimens were allowed to dry 

 without pressure in mats or tufts as they grew, and then kept in card- 

 board trays. The latter specimens are of special value as material for 

 future comparison and to show the habit of the dried plants. Notes of 

 time and place of collection, of substrata, appearance of the sporophyte at 

 the time of collection, aiipearance of plants under normal conditions, and 

 any peculiarities due to season and variation from type are recorded. 

 Imjiortant observations touching these points are given under each species 



