144 GRIMMIACE^E. 



mitriform ; peristome teeth deeply divided into two or three often 

 coherent branches. Autoicous. 



Var. /3. sudetica Wils. (G. sudetica Spreng.). Taller, leaves 

 with longer hair-points ; capsule not exserted above the upper 

 hairs, lid conico-acuminate . 



Hab. Siliceous rocks in mountain districts ; frequent, and in some places 

 abundant. The var. $ rare. Fr. autumn. 



Usually easily recognised by its neat compact black cushions, with abundant 

 small smooth capsules on straight setae. It is perhaps most like G. montana and G. 

 cniata, the former differing in its shorter basal cells, and cucullate calyptra ; the latter 

 in the shorter hair-points, the more sinuose basal areolation, the slightly revolute 

 margin, etc. 



18. Grimmia ovata Schwgr. (G. ovalis Lindb., Braithw. Br. 

 M. Fl.) (Tab. XXII. L.). 



In small, not very compact cushions, |-i inch high, olive- 

 green or black, sparingly canescent. Leaves spreading, closely 

 appressed when dry, the lower small, muticous, the upper longer 

 (one line), lanceolate-acute from an oblong or slightly obovate 

 base, ending in a rather long almost smooth hair, about % length 

 of leaf in the uppermost leaves; one margin slightly recurved, 

 the other plane, thickened above ; nerve rather thin and faint, 

 obscure in the upper part ; basal cells near the nerve narrow- 

 linear, 4-8 times as long as broad, rather incrassate and faintly 

 sinuose, becoming shorter near the sides of the leaf, at margin 

 about three rows, much shorter, thin-walled, rectangular, 

 hyaline ; all quickly becoming short, sinuose-rectangular, in 

 the upper half rounded-quadrate with sinuose walls, very obscure, 

 in two strata. Autoicous. Capsule exserted on a pale seta, oval- 

 oblong, rather narrow, pale brown, smooth ; calyptra mitriform, 

 sometimes sub-cucullate, lid shortly rostellate, obtuse, straight or 

 oblique ; peristome teeth divided to the middle into two or three 

 branches, more or less united. 



Hab. Siliceous rocks on mountains, not common. Fr. usually in winter. 



The closely appressed leaves give the stems a neater appearance when dry than 

 in most of the species, and the hair-points, though rather long in a few of the comal 

 leaves, are not very numerous, so that the plant is less hoary than in most of its allies ; 

 it is more robust and laxer in habit than G. Doniana, which it most resembles, with 

 longer capsules on longer fruit-stalks, more solid and more sinuose basal areolation, 

 etc. 



The var. cylindrica Hiibn. , which is described as British, does not seem to be a 

 strongly characterised form, though Nees and Hornschuch described it as a species in 

 common with two or three other equally unimportant forms. 



