188 Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 
agree much better with the description of C. Mueller s plant. I think in all 
probability they may both be forms of one and the same species. It may 
be noted that in this plant the form in which the dorsal lamina terminates 
below is not as in many or most species a reliable character. On the same 
fertile stem I have seen all stages between an abruptly rounded, auricle-like 
ending and the most gradual narrowing or decurrence. 
F. glaucescens Hornsch. Rietf ontein ; and Barberton, Transvaal, 1914; 
coll. H. A. W. (Nos. 283, 255a), c. fr. ; Table Mt., 1896 ; coll. W. A. Walker ;, 
Zululand, comm. Gr. Webster (No. 984). 
F. i)lumosus Hornsch. Kaapsche Hoop, Transvaal, 1915 ; coll. H. A. W. 
(No. 317) ; Knysna, CP.; and Blinkwater ravine, CP., 1916; coll. H. A. W. 
(Nos. 504, 589). 
No. 317 differs from the type-form in the leaves being rather narrower, 
with more finely acute, more serrulate points, but the differences are not of 
importance. The other two numbers are the normal plant. 
F. cymatophijlhis C M. Near Hogsback, 4-6000 ft., Tjumie, CP., 1916 ; 
coll. Hend. (No. 192). Does this really differ, I wonder, from F. glaucescens ? 
F. julianus (Sav.) Schimper. In water, Maritzburg, 1906; coll. H. A. W. 
In water, Grwacwalia E., King William's Town, CP., 1892 ; coll. Sim (No. 
7096) ; streams in Pirie Forest, CP., 1892 and 1893 ; coll. Sim (No. 7118), 
c. fr. 
It may be worth while to go somewhat fully into the history of this 
plant and the reasons for referring it to the northern species. C Mueller 
(Syn. i, 44, 45) separates F. Berteri C M. from F. julianus as having 
fructus in ramo brevissimo " in contrast to the " fr. in ramo longiusculo " 
of the latter species. F. Berteri is described as fruiting, and two plants are 
attributed to it — Bertero's from Chile and Drege's from the Cape of Grood 
Hope. A note expresses doubt whether it is sufficiently different from 
F. Dillenii C M. In the same work (ii, 525), under Conomitrium, C. Mueller 
separates the South African plant from the South American one as C. capense,. 
citing the same plants of Drege and adding " sterile tantum notum." He 
describes it as " C. Berteri simillimum, sed caules longissimi, apice gemynaceo- 
folioso incrassato falcato praeditiy This character, however — which on the 
face of it does not appear of any great value — is not shown on any of the 
Cape plants I have seen. 
So far, therefore, there is nothing to indicate any difference between the 
Cape plant and the northern F. julianus. On the other hand, vegetatively 
it agrees equally well with F. Billeyiii CM.; and if this is really separable 
from F. julianus on the ground of the position of the fruit, it would be 
reasonable to assume in the absence of fruit that the Cape plant was 
probably the same as the S. American species, not identical with the 
northern plant ; and therefore to be known as jP. Dillenii. Fortunately, 
however, Mr. Sim has collected the plant in very nice fruiting condition^ 
