174 



CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE BRYOLOGY 



almost laciniately dentate (not slightly serrulate), with a single costa (not forked). The 

 areolation of the leaf is more linear. The radicular tomentum of stem and branches is 

 more abundant and much more compound in its ramification. The pedicel is longer, &c. 



TAB. V. Fig. 1. Plants of the natural size. 2. The same magnified. 3. The peristome. 4. Stem- 

 leaf and cross section. 5. Branch-leaves and cross section. 6. Point of a leaf. 7. Male gemma. 8. Peri- 

 chseth and vaginula. 9. Perichcetial leaves. 10. Capsule and pedicel in a dry state. 11. Operculum. 12. 

 Radicular tomentum with a portion of the stem. All magnified except fig. 1. 



8. SPHAGNUM TORREYANUM (sp. nov.) : robustum, sordido-fuscescens ; caule pedali 

 longiore firmo diviso ; ramulis 4-5 fasciculatis inferne remotis superne confertis 

 12-15 lin. longis 3-4 lin. latis lineari-lanceolatis complanatis plumulosis laxe 

 foliatis ; foliis patulis convolutis elongato-lanceolatis apice tubiformibus minuteque 

 eroso-dentatis margine e cellulis exilissimis 4 5 seriatim conflato circumductis 

 serpentino-reticulatis, transversal! sectione cellulas linea spiral! notatas magnas 

 subrotundas exhibentibus, cellulis chlorophyllosis minutis triangularibus exteritis 

 interpositis ; fructu ignoto. 



HAS. Essex County, New York, Dr. Torrey. 



This species is at once recognized by its large size, considerably exceeding that of 

 any of its American congeners, and by the color of the whole plant, much like that of 

 S. macrophyllum, n. 18, of Drummond's Southern Mosses.* The arrangement of the 

 cells of the leaf is the same as in S. cuspidatum.f 



* This singular Moss is doubtingly referred by Hook. & Wils. to S. macrophyllum, Brid., a species 

 founded on specimens purporting to have been collected near Philadelphia. No American Sphagna known to 

 me accord with Bridel's description of S. macrophyllum, few present more important discrepancies than 

 the present species. Specimens of it, under the name of S. Georgianum, Schw. Mss., are to be seen in the 

 Schweinitzian herbarium, together with notes made (previous to 1820) by Dr. Torrey, pointing out the pecu- 

 liar structure of the large cells of the leaf, which are destitute of a spiral fibre and furnished throughout their 

 whole length with a line of unusually large and conspicuous stomata. In the event of Bridel's Moss proving 

 to be different (which is highly probable), Schweinitz's name, "Georgianum," is entitled to adoption. 



t The form and relative position, as seen in a cross section of the two kinds of cells comprising the leaf of 

 Sphagnum, will aid in distinguishing the species. In Tab. IV. B., figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, a represents a cross section 

 of the large cells, which are always destitute of chlorophyll, having their sides perforated with large circular 

 openings or stomata, and lined (excepting in " n. 18," Drummond, 1. c.) with a spiral fibre ; b represents the 

 same section of the small linear cells containing chlorophyll only. In the North American species, the princi- 

 pal types of structure appear to be the four following. Fig. 1 (tab. 1. c.), large circular cells placed in con- 



