4 
Shiv Ram Kashyap. 
dies away. The margins of the apical portion bend upwards and 
become variously bent and twisted, so that the apical portion forms 
an irregular reddish knot when dry, but it opens out on moistening 
and begins to grow again. The twisting of the wings to form an 
irregular knot is very different from the mere rolling upwards of 
the margins as seen in Plagiochasma, etc. 
Fossombronia himalayensis Kashyap, n.sp. (Fig. 2). 
Plants caespitose among grass or moss, or singly on rocks, 
small and compact in the former places, but open and longer in the 
latter; two to three times branched, branches up to 6 mm. long. 
Rhizoids violet or hyaline. Leaves oblong, wavy, ascending, over¬ 
lapping to about one-third of the length, outer margin irregularly 
and indistinctly toothed. 
Fig. 2. Fossombronia himalayensis. I, a plant with two branches (t, old 
tuber; t 1 , tubers of current year), x 4. II, perianth with sporogonium, x 4. 
Monoecious or dioecious. Perianth with a wavy margin, some¬ 
times split to the base along one side. Seta up to 5 mm. long, 
often very short; capsule usually exserted. Spores with furcate 
high lamellae sometimes forming a few reticulations, 40 to 50/4. 
Elaters laxly bi- or trispiral, 100 to 140/4 long. The cells of the 
outer layer of capsule wall have thin walls. No trace of bands was 
found as described by Humphrey in F. longiseta (Annals of Botany, 
Vol. 20, 1906). The cells of the inner layer have U-shaped bands 
on the inner and radial walls near the apex, but only simple bands on 
radial walls at other places. Dehiscence by separation of the apical 
portion. 
At the end of the vegetative season the apex grows down into 
the soil and becomes thickened, as is the case in F. tuberifera 
described by Goebel (“ Organography of Plants,” Vol. 2, p. 68). 
Sometimes the tuber is almost sessile, but often it is borne on a long 
portion of the stem which forms only rudimentary leaves in the form 
of ridges. This portion of the stem may be up to 3 mm. in length 
and usually has a distinct spiral twist which helps the tuber in 
