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MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



[VOL. 11 



verse. Leaves bisbifid (or trifid with one sinus deeper, or bifid). Underleaves 

 like the leaves. Male branches terminal but becoming intercalary on the stem or 

 branch, radial, the bracts and bracteoles pouched; antheridia in the axils of the 

 bracts and bracteoles. Female inflorescence terminal on the .stem or branch, 

 usually with one or two subfloral innovations, the bracts and bracteoles like the 

 leaves. Sporophyte enclosed in a long, smooth, club-shaped coeloeaule, the bracts 

 and bracteoles in rows on the surface. 



Type genus: Vetaforma Fulford & J. Taylor. 



This monogeneric family from southern South America has a considerable 

 number of exceedingly primitive characteristics. 



Vetaforma Fulford & J. Taylor, Nova Hedwigia 1: 406. 1960. 



Lepidozia auctt. p.p. 

 Lepicolea auctt. p.p. 



The characters of the genus are those of the species. 

 Type species: Lcpidozia dusenii Stephani, 1900. 



1. Vetaforma dusenii (Stephani) Fulford & Taylor, Nova Hedwigia 4: 82. 1962. 



Lepidozia dusenii Stephani, Bihang, Sv. Vet.-akad Handl. III. 26 6 : 52. 1900. 

 Blepharosioma dusenii Stephani, Spec. Hep. 3: 640. 1909. [not "loc. cit" of the above 



(1900), as incorrectly cited by Stephani in later works.] 

 Lepicolea abnormis Stephani, Sv. Vet.-akad. Handl. 46 9 : 72. 1911. 



Vetaformis abnormis (Stephani), Fulford & J. Taylor, Nova Hedwigia 1: 406. f. 1-31. 

 1960. 



Temnoma dusenii (Stephani) Schuster, Bryologist 62: 240. 1959. 



Plants of small to medium size, erect, radially symmetric or nearly so, flaccid, 

 pale green, in tufts or among other bryophytes; stems slender, to 4 cm long, 

 with leaves to 1.0 mm wide, irregularly branched; lateral branches frequent, of 

 the Frullania type with the bifid half-leaf at the dorsal base, or axillary-inter- 

 calary, the intercalary branches also from the stem at the ventral base of the 

 leaf, or at either side of the underleaf, or in the axils of male bracts and 

 bracteoles, the subfloral innovations of the Frullania type ; stem in transverse 

 section seven to nine cells across, the cells of the unistratose cortical layer mostly 

 smaller than those of the medulla, the walls thickened, trigones and pits present. 

 Rhizoids very long, hyaline, from the bases of the leaves and underleaves of the 

 lower part of the stem, and the cells surrounding the bases of the lower inter- 

 calary branches, 18-26 /x wide, producing terminal, multicellular regenerant 

 protonemata, which become intercalary by the development of more rhizoids with 

 regenerant tips. Line of leaf insertion transverse. Leaves distant to imbricate, 

 erect-spreading, cuneate, 0.8-1.0 mm long, bisbifid (some trifid with one sinus 

 deeper, rarely bifid) to one-half of the length; segments lanceolate, erect-spread- 

 ing, four (three to six) cells wide at the base, the apex short -acuminate, ending 



Fig. 1. Vetaforma dusenii. 1 a. Portion of a stem, dorsal view, X 40; F, branch of 

 the Frullania type; FL, half -leaf with this branch. 1 b. Portion of a stem, ventral view, 

 X 30 ; U, underleaf. 1 c. Portion of a leaf segment, X 350. 1 d. Portion of a transverse section 

 of a stem, X 180. 1 e. Lateral view of a stem, showing an intercalary branch, X 40; C, basal 

 collar at the ventral base of the leaf ; IT, underleaf ; V, intercalary branch. 1 f. Male inflores- 

 cence, X 40; A, antheridium ; BU, male bracteole; V, ventral axillary, intercalary flagelliform 

 branch. 1 g. Diagram to show the arrangement of female inflorescences on a shoot; the dark 

 circles indicate the female inflorescences; F, vegetative branch of the Frullania type; S, sub- 



