— IO 
spores on tbe plants sent me by Mrs. Britton I found them to agree exactly in 
size and rough surface with my plant and that fjrom Italy, but that instead of 
being 17-22 // as Limpricht records, p. 225 of Vol. I., they are uniformly a 
little larger, measuring 26-30//. 
What I have now stated will make clear why I think Hooker and Wilson 
were probably right when they referred our American plants to H. rostella- 
tum to which Lesquereux and James did not agree, retaining Sullivant’s 
name (see the Manual, p. 52, under A. Ludovicianum). To be sure Lim- 
pricht in his historical sketch tells us that Hymenostomum rostellatum may 
also be conceived as an Astomum (referring to the European form) which 
illuminates Hooker and Wilson’s name Phascum crispum rostellatum , but 
judging from his practice (See Vol. I., p. 224) he himself considers it a 
Hymenostoznum. According to this view Astomum (or Systegium) Ludo- 
vicianum Sulliv. becomes a synonym of Hymenostomum rostellatum (Brid ) 
Schimp., in addition to the list given by Limpricht. On the other hand if the 
plant is to be referred to the genus Astomum Hampe., or Systegium 
Schimp., where it may stand with perfect propriety, since here also the lid 
is ,l distinctly formed but not easily detached,” it should be called: Asto- 
mum rostellatum Bry. Eur. , or Systegium rostellatum Boulay in Muscinees 
delEst.,p. 586(1872). 
That Hooker and Wilson referred the plant to Phascum ( Astomum ) 
crispum as a variety, is very suggestive of the close similarity of the vegeta- 
tive organs, and a look at Limpricht’s synonyms of the European form, ever 
since Bridel described it as a Phascum, is sufficient to show its ambiguous 
position. The frequently clustered capsules of the species are referred to, 
both by Limpricht and in Lesquereux and James, and the somewhat more 
vigorous and branching habit of Sullivant's plants is purely local, judging 
from the several American specimens examined. The difference in length 
of operculum, the European plant being on the whole a. little longer beaked, 
is not emphasized either in plate 12, Bry. Eur., or in Sullivant’s leone, plate 
12, a comparison of which shows how slight is this difference, so slight 
indeed that one would not care to base even a variety on it. 
Winona, Minn. 
(Taken from Minnesota Botanical Studies as Reprinted July 3, 1903.) 
THE MOSS FLORA OF THE UPPER MINNESOTA RIVER BY JOHN M. 
HOLZINGER. 
A. J. Grout. 
This is an interesting report based on collections made under the 
auspices of the Minnesota Botanical Survey and lists ninety-six species, of 
which nearly one-half are new to the State, including six new species, five of 
which are by Cardot and Theriot. Two of these new species are forms con- 
fessedly near Hypnum riparium, That the polymorphous riparium might 
be segregated into several fairly well defined groups is almost certain, but it 
hardly seems worth while, from a scientific point of view, to found new 
