28 



according to Brotherus* it cannot be a Homalia because the 

 leaves have porose cells and although they are ecostate they are 

 not entire and hence do not fit with Euhomalia or Spathularia. 

 According to Mitten this has been described as a subgenus of 

 Lepidopilum with one species L. memhranaceum (C. M.) Mitt, 

 characterized by its equally falcate, scythe or scimitar-shaped 

 leaves. There is but one species, but it is listed in three genera 

 in Paris Index, as Homalia, Lepidopilum and Neckera. The 

 identity of these species has been determined by consulting type 

 material of each and as the fruit has not been described we give 

 the following characters: 



Isodrepanium (Mitt.) E. G. Britton gen. nov. 



Plants occasionally a foot long, pendent on trees. Stems 

 slender, regularly pinnate or bipinnate, branches I-14 cm. long. 

 Leaves glossy, imbricate, falcate, acuminate, serrate, ecostate; 

 cells porose. Dioicous. Seta 4 cm. long, slender, flexuose; 

 capsule nodding-ovoid ; peristome double, without cilia. 



Type species : Homalia lentida Wils. 



Isodrepanium lenlulum (Wils.) E. G. Britton new combination. 

 Homalia lentula Wils. Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist. 20: 379. 1847. 

 Hookeria membranacea C. M. Syn. Muse. 2: 200. 1851. 

 Lepidopilum memhranaceum Mitt. Journ. Linn. Soc. 12: 369. 



1869. 

 Neckera falcifolia R. & C. Bull. Soc. Roy. Bot. Belg. 32: 184. 



1893. 

 Homalia membranacea C. M. Hedwigia 37: 266. 1898. 

 Neckera lentula Broth, in E. & P. Pfl. i^: 842. 1906. 



Stems pendent, irregularly branched, reaching a maximum of 

 30 cm. in length with branches pinnate or bipinnate, often io-i5' 

 cm. long; leaves glossy green, crowded, flexuose, 1.5 mm. long, 

 falcate-acuminate, ecostate; apex recurved; margins unequally 

 and finely serrate; base oblique, unequal, slightly auriculate on 

 one side, basal cells yellow, enlarged, all femur-shaped and 

 porose, with thick walls. Perichaetial leaves longer pointed, 

 almost entire. Dioicous. Seta 4 cm. long, slender, flexuose, 

 red; capsule 2-3 mm. long, ovoid, horizontal; peristome double, 

 yellow; teeth trabeculate, with narrow projecting lamellae, 



* E. and P. Pflanzenfam. fasc. 226: 847. 1906. 



