15 



SPHAGNUM BAVARICUM IN YORKSHIRE. 



W. BELLERBY, 

 York. 



During the month of August, 1907, whilst collecting- 

 Sphagna in the boggy district near Ellerbeck (v.c. 62), 

 I found several interesting species (which, at his request, I 

 sent to Dr. Warnstorf of Berlin), among which a very interest- 

 ing plant, recently named, was found, viz., Sp/iagmmi bavariciim 

 Warnst. Dr. Warnstorf has described it fully in ' Hedwigia ' 

 (xlvii. p. 84, 1907), and the editor of this scientific journal 

 has kindly forwarded me the part containing the original 

 text (together with that of other thirty-seven rare new 

 European and exotic Sphagna), from which I am enabled 

 to give the following translation from the German, which 

 wall be of interest to Sphagnologists of Yorkshire. 



Sphagnum bavaricum, Warnst. — Hygrophyte! Resembling 

 strong forms of S. siihseciindiim and S. nifescens, in cushions 

 20-25 cm. high in their upper part, glaucous to brownish- 

 green in colour. The stem cuticle is of one layer of cells, the 

 central cylinder consists of three layers of lignified cells, first 

 pale or green, later yellow or yellowish-brown, and generally 

 these cells are narrow and strongly collenchymatous, while the 

 rest of the ground tissue of the stem is faintly collenchymatous. 

 Stem leaves small triangular Ungulate o'8-i mm. long and 

 07-1 mm. broad at the base, and here often broader than long; 

 in the upper part and on the broad obtuse apex they have a 

 hyaline border, and the margin fringed by the resorption on 

 both sides of the cell membrane. Margin incurved and not 

 imder below than above. Hyaline cells rather narrow, bottle- 

 shaped and much divided, in the apex shorter, wider and more 

 divided and almost without fibrils, and both sides imthoiit pores^ 

 often with fibril-beginnings in the apex, sometimes in the middle 

 and further down richly fibrose, and then on the inner surface 

 of the lamina with numerous small to medium-sized ring- 

 less pores at the commisures, in the middle wall between the 

 fibrils always weak in pores. 



Branch leaves mostly in fours ; two stronger with round 

 acuminate leaves swollen, and with incurved branches in 

 the capitula, the two others w^eak and pendant. 



Leaves of the spreading branches variable in size and form, 

 ■elongate or roundish ovate 1*14 mm. -2*6 mm. long, 0*8-1 -5 



-1908 January i. 



