FONTINALIS. 357 



M. Cardot describes this plant as " belonging to the group Lepidophylte ; differ- 

 ing at first sight from F. squamosa by its leaves much more longly tapering-acuminate, 

 and also by its more distinct auricles. Much more robust and with larger leaves than 

 F. dalecarlica, which has, moreover, a quite different facies." 



The colour, the hardly concave, much attenuated leaves, and above all the very 

 marked auricles, render this plant certainly conspicuously distinct from F. squamosa, 

 its nearest ally ; it is however a question whether it should be regarded as an 

 independent species or as a sub-species of that plant, a question on which I do not 

 feel competent to give an opinion, demanding as it does a comprehensive knowledge 

 of the genus ; I have therefore adopted M. Cardot's view and given his description. 



4. Fontinalis seriata Lindb. (Tab. XLVIII. G.). 



Very soft and slender, deep green, blackish below, resemb- 

 ling the most slender forms of F. squamosa. Leaves arranged 

 more or less distinctly in three rows, very narrow, linear-lanceo- 

 late from a very narrow base, very gradually tapering to a long 

 slender point ; plane or slightly concave only, very flaccid and 

 falling together when removed from the water. Cells rather 

 short and wide, thin-walled, at basal angles somewhat lax, but 

 not forming distinct auricles. Fruit unknown. 



Hab. Mountain streams ; very rare. R. Wye, Winforton, Herefordshire 

 (Binslead, 1895). 



M. Cardot in his "Tableau methodique du genre Fontinalis " (Rev. Bry., 1891, 

 p. 83) places this plant in the Section Malacophyllae, distinguished by the very soft 

 and flaccid leaves, plane or very slightly concave, narrow and longly tapering, of 

 which Section F. hypnoides Hartm. is the type, and in his later work he has, I believe, 

 considered it a river-form of that species. I have examined a specimen from Sweden 

 collected by Indebetou, by whom F. seriata, as described by Lindberg, was originally 

 gathered, and find the leaves much more rigid and decidedly concave, and certainly 

 approaching F. squamosa; but it is clear that several different plants have been 

 distributed under the name seriata (Arnell, for instance, describes it as having the 

 leaves deeply carinate, Rev. Bry., 1882, p. 85); and M. Cardot informs me that 

 he has examined the original specimens on which Lindberg founded his species, and 

 that our plant differs only in having the acumen a little less elongated than in the 

 Scandinavian plant. I feel bound therefore to consider F. seriata as distinct from 

 F. squamosa, and therefore retain it here as a separate species, without attempting to 

 give any opinion as to its relationship to F. hypnoides Hartm. , with which its affinity 

 appears to be the closest. 



The delicate stems, and flaccid, very narrow, attenuated leaves, are the most 

 striking features of the species, and will serve to distinguish it in the field, while under 

 the microscope the plane, or scarcely concave leaves afford a critical character, and 

 one which in this genus must be allowed considerable weight. The Rev. C. H. 

 Binstead tells me that it has almost the appearance of a confervoid alga when in situ, 

 from its extremely delicate, almost filiform growth ; it also takes up a good deal of 

 sediment, which the more robust kinds with which it grows do not. 



Order XX. CRYPrLEACE^E. 



Primary stem creeping, secondary erect, branched laterally 

 and somewhat pihnately, but irregularly. Leaves in many rows, 

 upper cells short and rounded, smooth or slightly papillose ; lower 



