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Bryhii, who from the first considered it to be a new species of Amblystegium,. 

 was for a while led to hold that it was a new Leskea, but has finally- 

 concluded to go back to his original proposition. In a recent letter he trans- 

 mitted the MS. description in Latin, which is translated below. The fact that 

 this moss was collected only sterile linked with other interesting scientific 

 considerations has led the writer for two years past to make a strenuous, but 

 so far ineffectual effort, to revisit that very profitable but rather far-off col- 

 lecting ground around Lake McDonald in Northwestern Montana. 



Following is Dr. Bryhn's description of this Amblystegium, translated, 

 from his MS. 



AMRLYSTEgiUM MONTANA N. Bryhu. n, sp. In appearance reminding: 

 of Amblystegium fluviatile or irriguitm and Amblystegium variutn,. 

 this plant also suggests Leskea polycarpa. It forms rather dense bright or 

 deep green cushions, of dull color, not shining. Plant 2-4cm. long, fragile, 

 prostrate, but at the apex ascending, below stripped of leaves by age, or 

 bristling with persistent leaf -ribs, irregularly divided into generally simple 

 ascending or erect branches usually icm. long, beset by few scattered radi- 

 cles and by a considerable number of subulate-lanceolate paraphyllia, which 

 occur especially on the branches. Stem in cross section round-five-an- 

 gled, here and there winged, .16-. 2mm. thick, with a thin central 

 strand ,02mm. in diameter, and two layers of brown cortical cells. Stem 

 leaves i. 2-1. 25mm. long and .5-.6mm. wide, distinctly and long decurrent, 

 ovate, abruptly narrowing into an obliquely lanceolate apex which measures 

 in length one-third or one-fourth of the entire leaf, the very entire margins 

 revolute from the base to about the upper one-fifth. Costa at the 

 base ,4-.45mm. broad, projecting on the back .02mm., dark or dark- 

 green, not excurrent, disappearing in about the upper one-sixth of the 

 leaf. Branch leaves .8mm. long and .32-.35mm. wide, shortly and nar- 

 rowly decurrent, obliquely lanceolate, the margins at base narrowly revo- 

 lute, at the apex indistinctly serrate but otherwise entire. Costa below 

 .3-.4mm. wide, extending three-fourths of the leaf. 



All the leaves are rather thin, neither striate nor furrowed, crowded, 

 concave-keeled, with flat apex, when moist open, spreading, when dry lit- 

 tle changed. The leaf cells are parenchymatous, usually .oog-.oimm. 

 wide, angular and at the base quadrate, along the middle and above rhom- 

 bic-rectangular or hexagonal-rounded, about twice as long as wide, those of 

 the margin and apex rhombic, all very smooth, strongly incrassate, without 

 pores, the primodial utricles strongly sinuous. Other parts are unknown. 



Habitat: Montana, Western North America, where Mr. J. M. Holzin- 

 ger collected the plants in July, 1898, near Lake McDonald at an alti- 

 tude of about 3000 m. He sent it to me under the name ''Amblystegium 

 varium orthocladon (Det. Cardot)/i?r;;m alpina mirabilis (Holzinger)." 



This plant is closely related to Amblystegium orthocladon 2jr:i^ varium 

 as well ask) Amblystegium fluviatile SLnd irrigum from which species it ap- 

 pears to be sufficiently distinct by the characters above set forth. 



Honefoss, Norway, November, 1901. 



