202 
Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa. 
B. alpinum Huds. var. viride Husn. Majuba Nek, 6000 ft., Herschel, 
CP,, 1917; coll. Ivan Hepburn, comm. Sim (No. 8707). Hogsback, 
4-6000 ft., Tjumie, CP., 1917 ; coll. D. Hend. (No. 347). Two very diverse 
forms, the former a slender, small form, the latter robust and large leaved, 
coming near to var. clistantifolium Dixon. Both, however, if collected in 
Europe I should certainly place in this variety. 
B. canariense Brid. Kaapsche Hoop, Transvaal, 1915 ; coll. H. A. W. 
(No. 313), c. fr. A fine, robust form. Cape Town, coll. H. A. W. (No. 
339), c. fr. 
B. canariensiforme Dixon. King William's Town, 2000 ft., CP., 1893 ; 
coll. Sim (No. 7314), c. fr. 
B. Mundii* C M. George, CP., 1916; coll. H. A. W. (Nos. 536, 546, 
558) ; Port Elizabeth, CP. ; coll. H. A. W. (No. 100) ; Knysna, CP. ; coll. 
H. A. W. (No. 525) ; Dohne Hill, CP., 4508 ft., 1898; coll. Sim (No. 7206). 
Mostly c. fr. 
Bryum truncorum Bory. Pirie Forest, 4000 ft., CP., 1893 ; coll. Sim 
(No. 7278), c. fr. ; Grahamstown, CP., comm. G. Webster (No. 386); 
Waterval, Transvaal, 1914; coll. H. A. W. (No. 299), c. fr. ; Hogsback, 
Tjumie, 1917; coll. D. Hend. (No. 342). 
There is a good deal of confusion in the S. African plants of the 
E-osulata Group of Bryum. Certain forms were for long referred to B. 
canariense, or equally to B. Billardieri Schwaegr., or considered as varieties 
of these. C Mueller separated these, or some of them, as B. Mundii, but 
this species has been misunderstood by later bryologists ; while the difficulty 
is accentuated by the fact that B. canariense does actually occur in South 
Africa as well as B. Mundii. 
Hampe's specimens in the British Museum collection, for instance, named 
B. Mundii, are most or all of them a quite difl:'erent species, having a broad 
whitish or pale border of numerous rows of narrow, incrassate, sub-cartila- 
ginous cells, the leaves more twisted when dry, the margin more strongly 
recurved, etc. B. Mundii is quite clearly described by C. Mueller as scarcely 
bordered, margin very narrowly recurved, and only near base, etc., and its 
close relation to B. canariense would quite preclude Hampe's plants being 
referred to it. The question is, what are Hampe's plants ? They are mostly 
from the Cape, without collectors' names, but are clearly from some of the 
earlier collectors, e.g. Ecklon, Breutel, Zeyher; and the same plant has 
been sent to me by various collectors in different parts of S. Africa. After 
careful comparison I make no doubt that they belong to B. truncorum Bory, 
recorded hitherto only from the East African Islands, principally Reunion. 
I have not been able to examine original specimens, but I have studied 
Bescherelle's specimens from I. Bourbon, coll. Duisabo, de I'lsle, etc. 
* C. Mueller Avrites it Mundtii. but there is no doubt of the collector's name being- 
Mund. 
