— 26 — 



THE REDISCOVERY OF PHYSGOMITRIUM PYGMi5:UM JAMES 



In 1894 I published a Revision of the Genus Physcomitrium} with descrip- 

 tions of five new species. On plate 197, Physcomitrium pygmcBum was illus- 

 trated "from original drawings by Sullivant" and at that time was very imper- 

 fectly known, from rather young and scant material. Since then it has been 

 collected and distributed by C. F. Baker among his "Plants of Nevada,^' number 

 Q08, from King's Cafion, Ormsby County, 1700-2000 m., June i, 1902, deter- 

 mined by M. Cardot, and quite recently a few plants have been sent to me 

 by Professor J. M. Holzinger, from a collection made by A. Brinkman, July, 

 1917, on "wet ground," Alberta, Canada, altitude 2700 feet. 



It seems desirable to place these two stations on record and to supplement 

 the original description by measurements and studies of more abundant and 

 mature specimens. 



I. Physcomitrium pygmcEum James. Bot. King's Exp. 404. 1871; Lesq. & 

 James, Man. 197. 1884; Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 21: 191. 1894, plate igy. 



Plants not more than 5 mm. high; stems stout, simple or branching by 

 lateral innovations, seldom more than 3-4 mm. high, leafy to base or leaves 

 clustered at apex; leaves lanceolate-acuminate, the costa ending in a mucronate 

 point, margins entire or with swollen teeth; cells lax, oblong or hexagonal, 

 sometimes 50-80yu long by 18-24^ wide; the marginal cells narrower or inflated; 

 perichaetial leaves longest, occasionally with the costa ending below the apex. 

 Dioicous? Antheridial plants not seen. Seta immersed or partially exserted, 

 variable in length from .6 to 1.5 mm. long, stout, erect, occasionally 2 to 3 on one 

 stem; neck long and tapering, sometimes to the vaginule, with few stomata, 

 which are immersed, closed and surrounded by 10-12 radiating cells; urn glo- 

 bose, becoming pyriforme, up to .66 mm. long; walls of irregular oblong or hexa- 

 gonal cells, 40-50M long; mouth bordered by 5-6 rows of transversely elongated 

 cells, up to 40M long, the rim of minute, cuneiform, orange colored cells up to 

 13/X long; lid .5 mm. long, conic with a blunt beak; spores reniform, 27-32/^ in 

 diameter, warty with sinuous lines of papillae, maturing in June and July. 



Type locality: Utah, on the ground above Parley's Park, Wasatch Moun- 

 tains, 6500 feet alt. Collected by S. Watson, 1869; King's Cafion, Ormsby 

 County, Nevada, 1700-2000 m. Collected by C. F. Baker, June, 1902; on 

 wet ground. Alberta, Canada, alt. 2700 ft., collected by A. Brinkman, July, 

 19 1 7, sent by Prof. J. M. Holzinger. 



Elizabeth G. Brixton, Honorary Curator 



New York Botanical Garden 



Note I — Mrs. Britton kindly sent me some of Mr. Baker's Nevada plants, 

 which enabled me to make careful comparisons. The Canadian plant has the 

 stem uniformly naked below, the leaves being crowded close around the seta. 

 The costa in most leaves is short excurrent. The material is rather scant, and 

 the question of the relations of antheridia and archegonia is not fully settled, 



^ Bull. Torr. Bot. Club 31: 189-208, plates 197-203. 



