l86 TORTULACEyE. 



upper part of leaf very small, roundish, regular, in oblique rows 

 radiating from the nerve, obscure, finely papillose. Seta short, 

 2-3 lines long, capsule small, cylindrical, slightly curved; lid 

 \- \ length of capsule ; tube of peristome \ the whole length ; 

 annulus narrow. Dioicous. 



IIab. Roots of trees by water. Not uncommon. Fr. very rare, early summer. 



A very distinct species, usually growing in spots liable to flooding, and hence 

 often embedded in mud. The fruit, so far as my experience goes, even when present 

 is only sparingly produced. It somewhat resembles Cinclidotus Brebissoni ; the 

 differences are pointed out under that plant. T. Itzvzpila, in addition to the hair- 

 point has the leaves narrower, less soft and flaccid, and almost always with some 

 differentiation of the marginal cells in the upper part. 



16. Tortula Isevipila Schwgr. (Syntrichia lasvipila Brid. ; 

 Barbula lasvipila B. & S., Schp. Syn.) (Tab. XXVIII. D.). 



In small or wide tufts, bright or deep green, reddish below, J-i 

 inch high ; stems branched, radiculose below. Leaves spreading, 

 the uppermost slightly recurved, when dry incurved and twisted, 

 appressed to the stem or slightly spirally contorted ; oblong- 

 spathulate, rounded and obtuse or emarginate at apex or very 

 slightly acute-pointed ; nerve strong, red, excurrent in a long 

 flexuose hyaline arista, reddish at the base, smooth or very 

 faintly denticulate, about half the length of the leaf ; margin 

 narrowly recurved about the middle of the leaf, almost plane 

 above ; upper cells small, hexagonal-rounded, obscure, papillose, 

 the marginal similar, or more frequently in two or three rows 

 more incrassate and less chlorophyllose and obscure, so as to form 

 an indistinct border, rough at edge with double papilla?. Seta 

 rather longer than in the last, 3-5 lines, capsule elongate- 

 cylindric, narrow, slightly curved ; lid and peristome as in the 

 last. Autoicous. 



Hab. . Trunks of trees, common. Fr. summer. 



A form of this species may occasionally be found with the young apical leaves 

 malformed ; more rarely they are transformed into oval gemmae — the state called 

 Barbula pagoruin by Milde. The degree of distinctness of the marginal band is 

 subject to great variation. T. ruralis differs in the taller stems, more recurved 

 leaves without a distinct border, and dentate arista. T. intermedia in the rough 

 arista, in the colour browner and not so usually bright green, and in the terrestrial or 

 rupestral, not arborescent habitat. After examining a number of plants of T. IcEvipila 

 and T. ruralis I am driven to the conclusion that the relative size of the cells affotds 

 no safe guide to their identification ; in both the cells are somewhat variable in size. 

 In T. intermedia they are smaller than in either of the other two species, and still 

 more obscure. 



