Mr. R. Spruce on the Musci and Hepaticic of Teesdale. 279 



greatest abundance below Winch Bridge. Sides of springs on the 

 summit of Cronkley Fell. 



Var. /3. 7ninor, foliis minutis, e basi latiori, subdistantibus. By 

 the Tees near Winch Bridge and the High Force. 



Var. y. muscicola, surculis prostratis, foliis angustioribus subhori- 

 zontalibus. Creeping over mosses on moist rocks below the High 

 Force. 



This I believe to be the plant alluded to by Hooker in his mo- 

 nograph under /. stipulacea {J. scutata, W. and jNI.)^ in these 

 terms: "A new species (/. Bantriensis, MSS.), which has lately 

 been discovered by Miss Hutchins, and which has^ like the pre- 

 sent, emarginate leaves : but it differs in its much greater dimen- 

 sions, in the less concave, obtusely and slightly emarginate leaves, 

 in the small stipules, and in the situation of the calyx, rising 

 quite leafless at the base from the upper side of the stem, as that 

 of J. pusilla does." And it is very probable that the plant 

 mentioned afterwards on the same page as having been found in 

 Scotland by Mr. Lyell, and possessing considerable affinity with 

 /. stipulacea, but differing in its twice or thrice larger leaves and 

 their obtuse segments, is specifically the same. There is yet an- 

 other supposed species mentioned in the same work (under /. bi- 

 dentata), communicated also from Bantry by Miss Hutchins, and 

 *' distinguished from /. bidentata in having the leaves cut into 

 three more frequently than into two segments ; and in either case 

 they are veiy distinctly, but irregularly toothed," which I am 

 inclined to unite with the other two. If this opinion be correct. 

 Hooker's remarks plainly indicate a very polymorphous species. 

 Of these three plants, the two latter are never afterwards alluded 

 to in the *^Brit. Jung.,' but /. Bantriensis is finally disposed of 

 at page 16 of the Synopsis as a variety of /. bidentata, and a 

 figure of the calyx and upper portion of the stem is given in the 

 third supplementary plate. That my plant is the /. bidentata 

 var. Bantriensis of Hooker has been assm'cd to me by Dr. Tay- 

 lor, who has kindly compared it with an original specimen from 

 the late Miss Hutchins ; and having had excellent opportunities 

 in Teesdale for studying it in its various forms, I am bomid to 

 declare that it is truly distinct from both /. bidentata and scutata, 

 as the following diagnosis ^\^lll amply demonstrate : — 



Plants forming dense tufts or patches ; in habit much resem- 

 bling /, cordifolia. 



Stems mostly erect, flexuose, simple or sparingly and dichoto- 

 mously branched, with suberect branches ; yet sometimes exhi- 

 biting a laxer and procumbent mode of growth, with divaricating 

 branches ; always, however, distinct from the entangled and much- 

 branched stems of /. bidentata. They vary almost indefinitely in 

 size, but in the normal form equal /. bidentata and far surpass 

 ./. scutata. 



