mnium. " 343 



high, radiculose below. Stem-leaves ovate, the upper larger, 

 oblong-elliptic ; usually somewhat acute rarely more obtuse and 

 apiculate, 2^—3^ lines long, narrowed and decurrent at base ; 

 leaves of sterile shoots usually complanate in two rows, more 

 distant, wider, ovate or obovate-spathulate, often hardly narrowed 

 at base and scarcely decurrent, largest in the middle of the shoot ; 

 all much crisped, curled and undulate when dry, margin bordered 

 with 3-5 rows of narrow-linear, cartilaginous cells, yellowish, 

 spinose in the upper half with a single row of sharp, rather 

 distant, slender teeth usually composed each of a single row of 

 three cells, but variable ; nerve reaching to apex or vanishing in 

 the apiculus ; cells large, variable in size (25-40 n), broadly oval- 

 hexagonal, somewhat arranged in oblique lines radiating from the 

 nerve, at apex rather smaller and more rounded, at base larger 

 and sub-rectangular, all chlorophyllose, thin-walled. Capsules 

 usually aggregated, 2-4 together, on long setae (i-i£ in.), 

 pendulous, elongate-elliptic, 2 lines in length, yellowish brown, 

 finally brown ; lid conical, apiculate. Dioicous. Male flower 

 discoid, terminal. 



Var. p. elatum B. & S. (var. elatum and M. Seligeri Jur., 

 Braithw. Br. M. Fl.). Tall, robust, 2-4 inches high, sterile 

 branches erect ; leaves large, less strongly spinose with short 

 blunt teeth, usually of 1-2 cells each ; more markedly decurrent. 



Var. y. rugicum B. & S. (M. rugicum Laur.). Small, dull 

 green, leaves small, short, margin almost entire or with only a 

 few obtuse almost obsolete teeth. 



Hab. Damp ground in woods, etc. Common. The vars. j8, y, in bogs and 

 marshes, less common. Fruit rare, in spring. 



This species varies very greatly, and is difficult to describe with precision. 

 It could only, however, be confused with the two following species, and of these M. 

 cuspidatum has the leaf-cells very markedly smaller, indeed only about half the size ; 

 while M. rostratum differs in the synoicous inflorescence, and the rostrate lid. When 

 these characters are not present there is frequently some difficulty in the determination ; 

 but M. rostratum has generally more oblong, obtuse leaves with the serratures usually 

 very small and often all but wanting ; they are also less decurrent, and broader at the 

 base, but it is not always safe to determine barren specimens. M. affine is usually a 

 more robust species than either of the other two. 



I am unable to consider M. Seligeri Jur. a good species. The differences between 

 it and the var. elatum of M. affine at the best are but slight, and the form of the serra- 

 tures, which appears to furnish the most important character, is very variable, and 

 leaves may be found on the same stem exhibiting the normal type together with that 

 of M. Seligeri, and with intermediate stages. The tall fine plants with the sterile 

 shoots erect are very different from typical M. affine, but this is also characteristic of 

 the var. elatum. I have not found the convex form of the leaves, the strongly 

 decurrent base, nor the incrassate cell-walls mentioned by Braithwaite as characteristic 

 of M. Seligeri, at all a constant accompaniment of the small obtuse serratures of this 

 plant. Thus in German specimens distributed as M. insigne Mitt, (i.e., M. 

 Seligeri Jur.) by Dr. Fr. Muller, with the typical short blunt serratures, the leaves are 



