82 SUMMARY OF CURRENT RESEARCHES RELATING TO 



V. Orthotricha arctica. — Plianeroporous ; peristome-teeth finely 

 punctated, recurved not quite to the wall of the capsule ; seta elon- 

 gated, raising the capsule above the perichretium. This group forms 

 a kind of connecting link between the rwpestria, straminea, and affinia, 

 and its species are also characterized by their invariable habit, and 

 their exclusively Arctic habitat : — 0. arcticum, microhlepharum, Som- 

 merfeltii, and brevinerve. 



VI. Orthotricha obtusifolia. — Papillfe of the peristome-teeth different 

 from those in the other groups ; leaves with recurved margin. This 

 group ought possibly to constitute a distinct genus. 



Structure of Orthodontium.* — The rare moss Orthodontium gracilef 

 hitherto known only in a few localities in England, has been recently 

 found also in France ; and, from a comparison of specimens from all the 

 stations, M. Boulay considers the customary description of the peri- 

 stome to be inaccurate, and proposes to substitute the following : — 

 Processus peristomii interni dentibus externis aequilongi, humiditate 

 conniventibus, apice contiguis. 



Sphagnum Austini, SuUiv.t — According to C. Warnstoff this rare 

 turf-moss is not distinguishable from S. cymbifolium, except as a varietal 

 form united with the typical form through S. papillosum Lindb. The 

 character derived from the number of branches in a tuft is not always 

 constant in the same species. The only constant characters to be 

 relied on appear to be the cortical layer composed of four layers of 

 cells, and the densely crowded comb-like projections on the inner 

 walls of the hyaline cells of the leaves. 



CharacecD. 



New Fossil Chara.:}: — Under the name CJiara Gehhardi, J. Ottmer 

 describes the spore-fruits (nucules) of a hitherto undescribed species 

 from the upper Kimmeridge clay of the Langenberg, near Oker. 



' Fungi. 



Double Fructification of Polyporus applanatus.§ — Since 

 S. Schulzer made the first discovery of the conidial fructification of a 

 Polyporu8,\\ he has observed the same structure in P. applanatus. The 

 lower tuberous part had no trace of any tubular structure at the 

 margin, while the greater part of the uj^per surface of the pileus 

 appeared as if covered with a red dust. Of the hyphse which consti- 

 tute the substance of the pileus, some bend downwards to form the 

 tubular hymenium, others bend upwards to form the cortex of the 

 pileus. This cortex, which is scarcely 1 mm. thick, consists of two 

 layers. The outermost and much the thinnest of these layers is 



* Rev. Bryol., vii. (1880) pp. 84-5. 

 t Bot. Centralbl., i. (1880) p. 1244. 



X JB. Ver. naturw. Braunschweig, 1879-80, p. 71. See Bot. Centralbl., i. 

 (1880) p. 1233. 



§ Oesterr. Bot. Zeit., xxx. (1880) pp. 321-2. 

 11 See this Journal, ii. (1879) p. 314. 



