Fam. 17. MEESEACE/E. 



Stems elongated, densely tomentose. Leaves in 3 — 8 rows, some- 

 what dense, of equal size, divergent or squarrose, entire or serrated, 

 the cells parenchymatous above, with thick walls, lax and rectangular 

 at base, smooth or mamillose. Capsule on a long seta, from an 

 erect longish neck, curved clavato-pyriform, not striate, with a small 

 oblique mouth. Peristome much shorter than endostome or of equal 

 length, the teeth mnioid, processes of endostome 16, cilia short or 

 rudimentary. Inhabiting wet moorlands or deep bogs. 



I. MEESEA Hedw. 

 Fund. muse. II, 97 (1782). 



Stems tomentose, densely or laxly csespitant. Leaves in 3, 5 or 

 8 rows, with a solid nerve, the cells smooth, chlorophyllose, hexagono- 

 rectangular. Caps, on a long seta, with a long narrow neck, curved 

 pyriform, small-mouthed ; calyptra narrow and cucullate, lid convex- 

 conic ; peristome of 16 short obtuse remotely articulated teeth, 

 endostome a very short membrane with 16 processes two or three times 

 the length of the teeth, lineal and often united at point by lateral 

 appendages, cilia short or rudimentary. Male infl. discoid with clavate 

 paraphyses. — Der. after David Meese, a Dutch gardener. 



A small genus of 8 or 9 species, ot which four are European. M. tnquetm 

 (L.) AoNGST. should be looked for here as it is widely diffused on the 

 continent, it is a much larger plant, having leaves in three rows and with 

 plane margins. Amblyodon resembles this genus in the fruit, but the leaves 

 are funarioid in structure. 



MEESEA TRICHODES (L.) Spruce. 



Autoicous and synoicous ; densely tufted. Leaves in 8 rows, 

 linear-lanceolate, obtuse, entire and revolute at margin, the cells nearly 

 uniform. (T. LXXIX, A.) 



Syn. — Bryum trichodes aureum, capsiilis incurvis obtusis, in setis longis Dill. Hist. muse. 389, 

 t. 49, f. 58 (1741), et Herbar. 



