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Austin expressed the opinion that 7^. delicatulum is only a starved 

 form of H, recurvans, and that the figures in the Supplement to the Icones 

 give a much better representation of this species than the figures in the first 

 volume. He also stated that he had found it difficult to distinguish small 

 forms of it from H. cy lindricarpum when sterile and larger forms from 

 H, nemorosum. I cannot agree with him altogether in these statements, 

 though H. recurvans is not correctly represented in the Icones, as the basal 

 alar cells are more inflated. That the plants intergrade, and have originated 

 from one common species, is evident, but the most constant differences, as 

 illustrated by Sullivant, are that S. recurvans is the larger and coarser 

 species in all its parts, usually with a more erect and denser habit of growth, 

 with longer pedicels and capsules, the lid being usually only half the length 

 of the urn. 5. delicatulum grows in thin appressed mats of a darker, less 

 glossy green, with shorter pedicels and the lid equalling the urn. The 

 position and recurving of the leaves is a less constant character, and is 

 variable in both species, as S. recurvans, when growing over wet cushions 

 of Leucobryinn will often send out long creeping branches on which the 

 leaves are scarcely recurved, and 5. delicatulum is more commonly found 

 with its leaves strongly recurved than with spreading leaves. In fact, H. laxe- 

 patulum was a poor substitute for the specific name delicatulum, as it is an 

 abnormal form of the species. But Dr. Best and I are agreed that ^\ recur- 

 vans has an annulus, which cannot be found in S. delicatulum. The number 

 and length of the cilia in both S. recurvans and S. delicatulum is variable, 

 and the Manual is incorrect in stating that the cilia are none or rudimentary in 

 the latter species. An examination of the type has shown they may be one or 

 two as in 5. recurvans. The habitat also is different, as S. delicatulum is 

 a plant of higher elevations and more moist habitat, and is usually found 

 growing with hepatics such as B lepharostoma trichophy Hum, Lepidozia 

 rep tans and Jungermannia exsecta. These species were found growing 

 with the type, collected by T. P. James, at Errol Dam,. N. H. 



Austin is quite right in saying that it is difficult to separate H. cylin- 

 dricarpuui from X delicatuluin when sterile, as' the main difference is in 

 the shape and position of the capsule, but there are leaf differences as 

 well, which a practiced eye can detect. 



Sullivant, in the Musci AUeghenienses, distributed two forms of 

 H. recurvans ivom Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina; No. 17, which 

 he considered typical, grew in thin, appressed mats, with Archelej eunia 

 clypeata, was dark green in color, and had pedicels only one centimeter 

 long; it is evidently referable to 5. delicatulum. No. 18 was issued as 

 H. recurvans, var. {L. squarrosa Michx.). It is a much coarser moss, with 

 densely tomentose, matted stems, making taller tangled tufts with longer 

 pinnate branches and pedicels 15-20 mm. long; the capsules are twice as 

 large with the lid shorter in proportion ; they are evidently what we have 

 been considering typical H. recurvans. It appears as if Sullivant had 

 critically studied Michaux's descriptions, and tried to refer the two forms 

 which he recognized to them; but there is nothing to show that he had seen 



