35° BRYACE/E. 



12. Milium punctatum L. (Tab. XLVII. G.). 



Tall, robust, 3-6 inches high, dark green ; sterile shoots 

 erect. Leaves large, distant, the terminal 5-6 forming a rosette, 

 larger, all patent, of solid texture, undulated and contracted when 

 dry, but hardly crisped, broadly obovate, 3-4 lines long, 2-2J lines 

 broad, from a very narrow base, not or hardly decurrent , at apex 

 broad, flat, slightly emarginate, usually minutely apiculate ; 

 border cartilaginous, thickened, of 2-4 rows of cells in several 

 layers, entire, usually purplish brown ; nerve reaching to the 

 apiculus or ceasing just below, cells somewhat variable in size, 

 large, angular, elongate-hexagonal, somewhat seriate in radiating 

 rows, incrassate. Capsule on a long, pale seta, sub-pendulous, 

 finally horizontal, ovate-oblong, pale yellowish when ripe, finally 

 brown ; lid acutely rostrate. Peristome teeth yellowish, darker 

 at base ; outer teeth and inner peristome very finely and evenly 

 papillose ; outer face of the teeth formed of oblong plates 6 or 8 

 times as wide as high ; inner face with many (30-35) dense 

 transverse bars. Dioicous. Male flower discoid. 



Var. j3. elatum Schp. Tall, densely tufted. Leaves larger, 

 rounded at summit without an apiculus, with a narrower , hardly 

 thickened border ; nerve ceasing at some distance below apex. 



Hab. Damp sandy and rocky places. Common. The var. £ on mountains. 

 Fr. spring. 



Except M. cinclidioides, which has thinner, non-bordered leaves, there are no 

 species of the present genus with which this plant is likely to be confused, but M. 

 subglobosum. The latter differs essentially in the synoicous inflorescence, and usually, 

 but not always, in the shorter, subglobose, pendulous capsule and the narrow, pale, 

 not thickened border to the leaves, which are also not apiculate and have the nerve 

 shorter. All these last vegetative characters are however sometimes found in the 

 present species, notably its var. elatum, as are also, according to Amann (Rev. Bry. 

 1890, pp. 53 sqq.), the form and direction of the fruit. According to this author it is 

 quite unsafe to separate these ambiguous forms except by the inflorescence or by the 

 characters of the peristome italicised under each species, which are however easy of 

 determination. 



Cincliditim styqium differs in the deeper colour, smaller, rounded-spathulate 

 leaves, with longer, more distinct apiculus, etc. 



13. Mnium subglobosum B. & S. (M. pseudopunctatum 



B. & S., Braithw. Br. M. Fl.) (Tab. XLVIII. A.). 



More slender ; resembling the var. elatum of the last species ; 

 the border of the leaves not thickened, less distinct and less 

 coloured, of 1-3 rows only of thin, narrow cells ; obtuse and 

 emarginate, with the nerve ceasing considerably below the 

 summit. Capsule small, short, subglobose , usually pendent. 

 Peristome brown all over ; outer and inner with papillae, forming 



