THE BRYOLOGISTV 



Vol. XIX 



September, 1916 



No. 5 



FOSSOMBRONIA CRISPULA IN THE DUNE REGION OF INDIANA 



In 1898 two stations were found for a pseudo-foliaceous hepatic which at the 

 time was referred to Fossomhronia crispula Austin. The first of these stations is 

 in the town of Westchester, Porter County, two or three miles eastward from 

 Dune Park, and is in the area "between Dune Park and Mineral Springs, Indi- 

 ana (G. S. Bryan, 1914) " lately given for it by Dr. A. W. Evans in some "Notes 

 on New England Hepaticae" in Rhodora 17: 105. 1915. In the notes he records 

 some localities for the species outside of New England, in addition to that near 

 Batsto, New Jersey, the type locality, the only one recorded for it until quite re- 

 cently. Shortly after obtaining it near Dune Park, I came across it again about 

 three miles east of ToUeston, Lake County. This would bring it close to the city 

 of Gary, since built there. This station is a few miles west of the former and in 

 the county at the northwestern corner of the state. The dates of the two collec- 

 tions are, respectively, September 19 and September 23, the plants in both places 

 being in good fruiting condition. The habitat, as recorded in my notebook, was 

 "moist or wettish ground of sloughs," the water of which had been dried away, 

 as usually happens in the shallow sloughs and ponds of the dune region at this 

 time of the year. The soil is prevailingly of a peaty nature, the peat mixed with 

 a little sand washed down, or blown in, from bordering but generally fixed dunes 

 with an open vegetation. The slough east of Tolleston was one of the aquatic 

 grass or sedge type, the vegetation in tufts or bunches, or in little hummocks, 

 with bare spaces between them on which the liverwort grew. I do not recall that 

 of the Dune Park station, whether of this or of the sphagnum bog type, both of 

 which are frequent there. 



The stems of the hepatic were 2 to 4 mm. long, closely caespitose, variously 

 forked or branched, or simple, ascending or prostrate, or with the base prostrate 

 and the tips curving upward and semi-erect; well provided with vinous colored 

 rootlets. The leaves are erect-spreading, or curving outward and upward, sub- 

 quadrate, or the upper more obovate-quadrate, strongly wa\'y-crisped, sometimes 

 emarginate, the edges entire to somewhat crenulate. The leaves at the ends of 

 the stems and branches are rather bright green, but fade out and become paler 

 or whitish below. The perianth is campanulate, its leaves wavy-crisped, their 

 edges often more or less indented. The capsule is brownish, globose, almost 

 sessile, immersed or the tip slightly rising above the perianth. The spores are 



E. J. Hill 



The July number of the Bryologist was pubhshed July 2.5, 10 16. 



