The Mosses Anacalypta and Pottia. - 9 



Pottia Starkeana, by C. Muller; Grimmia Starkeana, by 

 Smith and others ; Bryum minutum, by Dickson ; and 

 Weissia affinis by Hooker and Taylor ; while Wilson con- 

 fesses that he " dare not pronounce them " (the two mosses, 

 Anacalypta Starkeana and Pottia minutula) " distinct, having 

 examined numberless intermediate forms, which pass insensibly 

 from the one to the other." We shall, perhaps, be ready to 

 exclaim, "Who shall decide where doctors disagree?"* Yet 

 we conceive that, if gathered during the present month, before 

 there is a chance of the peristome being lost, which may be 

 more fugatious than hitherto suspected ; and if due attention 

 be paid to the position of the foliage, that of P. minutula being 

 more erect and appressed to the stem in a dry state, in all the 

 apecimens we have examined, as well as having the lower leaves 

 frequently of a reddish hue, there may be less difficulty in de- 

 ciding on its proper name and location. 



Having thus shown that the peculiar form of the fruit and 

 foliage is sufficiently characteristic of the whole family, genus, 

 and sub-genus, we now proceed to describe Anacalypta Starlce- 

 ana more particularly. 



As we have already said, its length of stem is less than 

 one twelfth of an inch, within which stature it bears two kinds 

 of leaves, the lower ones less, of an ovate acuminate form ; the 

 upper ones larger, oblong acuminate, or lanceolate, carinato- 

 concave, the margin recurved, the reddish nerve excurrent, 

 and forming a short mucro at the apex of the leaf, very seldom 

 discontinued below it, all of them spreading ; the areola small 

 and roundish, like the perforations of a very fine pin or needle 

 point, larger at the base, the capsule oval, with rather thin 

 walls of a shining chestnut-brown, sometimes regularly striped 

 with lines of a deeper tint ; the lid conical and obtuse ; annulus 

 persistent ; teeth of the peristome usually of a pale red or 

 yellow colour, lanceolate, and obtuse, with distant transverse 

 bars, but very variable, both in form and colour, more or less , 

 perforated, without a medial line, and erect when dry ; the 

 fruit-stalk loosely cellular, almost semi-pellucid, usually straight 

 when growing, slightly curved in a dry state, and somewhat 

 twisted ; the spores smoothish, the barren flowers axilliary, 

 mostly leafless, sometimes, but rarely, with a single involveral 

 leaf; while the Pottia minutula, which in other respects it so 

 nearly resembles, has barren flowers of from two to three 

 leaved. Both are found in fruit during January and Februaiy, 

 but the Pottia appears to continue in fructification longer than 

 the Anacalypta. 



* It must, however, be acknowledged that there are few mosses which have 

 not been honoured with a like multiplicity of names, a circumstance, doubtless, 

 chiefly arising from the advance of science rendering the old nomenclature defec- 

 tive, from incorrectness or inadequacy. 



