336 BRYOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND. 
STEREODON Mitt. M. austr.-amer., in Journ. Linn. Soe., xii, 22 (1869). 
[Stereodon is ey cited as of Brid., Bry. univ. ii, oa! In 
that work, however, Bridel only treats it as a a Section of ‘Hyp num, 
defined as ee “ Peristomii interioris ciliis imperfor ats.’ In 
this way he brings together species of Plagiothecium, Rhizogonium, 
Camptothecium, Calliergon, Thuidium, "Rhynehostoginm, Eur- 
hynchium, ete., a veritable medley of form s; and it seems absurd 
to cite him as the authority for a genus of a fairly well defined group 
of these species, having no relation whatever to the character given 
by him for his Section Stereodon, even had it been proposed as a 
genus. As unders stood here, the genus leary dates from Mitten’s 
A large genus, of which the cosmopolitan S. cupressiformis may 
be taken as the type; a distinguished by the faleate-secund, 
decurved, filiform-subulate leaves, with more or ae distinet alar 
cells, and the suberect, or horizontal, decurved capsule. In its 
istribution it is markedly temperate as compared with Ectropothe- 
ff : : 
he a 
vesicular, alar cells, and in the seating. conical or rostellate lid. 
All the New Zealand species are dioicous 
Key. 
Acumen rather broad and short; alar cells : 
1 numerous, all small and opaque ..... _..... 3. maculosus 
Acumen very finely a eae lower alar cells 
UTR eG 2 en a 2 
2 oes cells few, orange, not marginal _.... ree 2. chrysogaster 
Alar cells numerous at the extreme angles _.... 1. cupressiformis 
1. Stereodon cupressiformis (L.) Mitt. op. cit., p. 534. 
Syn. acer cupressiforme Linn. Sp. PL, 
N.Z. i - ea He N.Z. FI., p. 4 
ci Zeit. 1851, p. 565. ‘Stereodon age 
formis var. paar ely Mitt. in Journ. Linn. Soe., Bot 
eT E 
almost all its forms without recourse to the microscope. The 
beginner must, however, be prepared to meet with it in almost every 
variety of colou ur, size ‘and habit. Perhaps the one most constant 
and reliable character is found in the alar cells; those at the extreme 
g more or less distinetly enlarged, quadrate, pel ned, 
asionally orange, forming a slightly widened ce a 
where the leaf narrows there is almost always a further ities of 
several much amare — colourless, usually opaque cells. 
