12 The Mosses Anacalypta and Pottia. 



plianous towards the base. It also differs in the inflorescence, 

 P. truncata bearing gemniiform, barren flowers, while P. 

 Wilsoni has naked antheridia, and fruits nearly a month earlier. 

 They need not, therefore, be confounded; and the peculiar 

 structure of the leaves of P. cam/alia easily distinguishes it 

 when placed under the microscope. 



Pottia crinita, or bristly Pottia, is another which bears fruit 

 in February, with stems more densely and compactly tufted 

 than P. Wilsoni, and very obtuse, octofarious leaves, in this 

 respect not unlike P. Wilsoni, but with a stronger rigid nerve, 

 running out into a much longer bristle point, twice or thrice as 

 long as in P. Wilsoni, scarcely opaque ; the areolee larger, cap- 

 sule elliptic-oblong, scarcely contracted at the mouth, having an 

 oblique rostellate lid, a smooth calyptra, and naked antheridia. 



Pottia Heimii, the lance-leaved Pottia, inhabits moist banks 

 near the sea, and is rarely in fruit till April or May. This is a 

 taller species, but, like its congeners, it varies considerably, 

 differing in the size, shape, and direction of the leaves, as 

 well as in the length of the capsule and lid, while the fruit- 

 stalk is sometimes less than half an inch, at other times an 

 inch long. 



The stems are more or less branched, the leaves concave, 

 lanceolate, denticulate, or serrated at the apex, which is acute ; 

 margin plane, not recurved ; the nerve reddish, scarcely at all 

 excurrent, and the inflorescence polygamous, having the 

 barren and fertile flowers variously disposed on the same indi- 

 vidual; the flowers frequently synoicous, sometimes entirely 

 barren; in which case it is destitute of paraphyses. When 

 both organs are found united in the same flower, they are ac- 

 companied by subclavate paraphyses, longer than the anthe- 

 ridia. The capsule is of a reddish brown, erect, obovate, or 

 oblong and truncate, not at all contracted at the mouth; the lid 

 obliquely rostrate, and adhering to the columella. 



We have thus completed the review of this minute, variable, 

 but interesting genus, as far, at least, as British examples 

 extend. 



