310 BRYOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND. 
which if ees are amply sufficient to constitute a distinct species. 
not, I believe, been found since its first gathering by Dall, 
the iseatity not being given. 
4. Rhaphidostegium acutifolium (H. f. & W.) Dixon comb. nov. 
Syn. Hypnum acutifolium H. f. & W. in Lond. Journ. Bot. 
ii, 563 lo 4); Fl. Antaret. i, 1388 (1847); Handb. 
VA FL, 476. Rhynchostegium acutifolium Jaeg. 
Adumbr, it 442. 
the absence of fruit, which S84 throw light on the pr rob em, it 
is better retained as a separate species. It differs from that only 
n the leaves quite straight and erect, or only extremely faintly 
faleate at the punerente tips of the branches, not at all glossy, and 
in their form; in R. leucocytus they taper gradually from just above 
es base to a ion ng, flexuose subula which is as long as the leaf base 
it is possible to delimit this; in > setae species the leat 
_ 
oblique, much — flexuose, almost strict ae usually m much shorter 
ices the leaf base. No flow wers or fruit were found; and the plant 
oe - fo wad £ i 
ar that C. Mueller and Jaeger have treated as Hyp. 
Bee a — is obviously a quite different thing; for one thing, 
hey are dealing with a uninerved species; and as described by C. 
ant. This is d i 
e : 
plants ; the British Museum specimen consists indeed almost entirely 
of a moss which is no doubt the original of C. Mueller’s description 
—it might well be a small form of Brachythecium rutabulum. 
5. Rhaphidostegium contiguum (H. f. & W.) Par. Ind., p 1090. 
Syn. Hypnum contiguum H. f. & W., ee Pain. Bo 213 
(1860). . crassiusculum ¥). N.Z. ii, 113, et Handb. 
N.Z. F1., p. 474; vix H. _erassinselm tl ? A. Kirk 
C. M. & Beck. ‘in Tra a. N.Z. Inst. sy 294 (1892): 
Rhaphidostegium Kirkii Broth. in Bibi & Prantl, 
Pflanzenfam., Musci, ii, 1110. 
istinguished at onee from the succeeding plants by the very 
pale, whitish colour, the delicate, narrow, finely acuminate leaves; 
from all the preceding (exeept R. acutifotium) by the leaves being 
straight or very slightly Nihad| often secund and pointing upwards, 
very concave, entire ; the very short seta, not much more than .5 em., 
thin, and smooth; and the very small capsule, which is elliptic, very 
slightly asymmetric with a very short, narrow neck, never thicke ned 
as in the epson) plants. The capsule varies much in form an 
direction. R. acutifolium differs in the leaves not at all secund or 
iti lour. 
appears: to airly frequent in New es and has a 
eae wide distribution in Oceania and Australas 
