Genus 28. CLASMATOCOLEA, Spruce.
Clasmatocolea, Spruce Hep. Am. e t And. p. 440 (1885).
Plants small, fragile. Primary stem short, sub-erect, densely
leaved ; radiculose at tlie base—sometimes under the terminal
flower also ; producing slender, arcuate branches having small and
distant leaves, and often rooting at the decurved apex. Leaves
alternate, subseound. ascending, plane or concave, obovate,
rotundate, subtruncate or retuse ; branch leaves very often ob-
eordato-cuneate. Stipules half the size, heteromorphous, most of
them ovato-lanceolate and entire, but others (chiefly the upper
ones) bifid. Inflorescence dioicous; ? bracts larger than the
leaves, somewliat similar. Perianths large for the size of the
plant, very fragile, obovate or sub-conical, in the upper part
obscurely or very slightly trigonous, having a wide 2-4-lobed
mouth. Capsule oblongo-globose, in other re.speots like that of
Lophocolea.
Clasmatocolea cuneifolia (Hook.), Spruce.
Jungermania cuneifolia. Hook. Brit. Ju n g . t. 64 (18J6).
Mylia cuneifolia, Gr. & B. Nat. A rr. Brit. Pi. p. 694 (1821).
Zeptoscyphus cuneifolia, Mitten in Hook. Journ. Bot. iii. p. 358 (1851).
Oolcochila cuneifolia, Dum. Hep. Eu r. p. 106 (1874).
Clasmatocolea cuneifolia. Spruce Hep. Am. e t And. p. 440 (1885).
Loosely cæspitose or creeping, minute, pale olive green to
reddish-brown in colour. Stems simple or with one or two very
minute shoots, extremely slender, filiform, flexuose, olive-brown,
very fragile ; radiculose, rootlets growing in short tufts, white.’
Leaves approximate or distant, assurgent or erecto-patent,
appressed to stem or spreading, slightly decurrent antioally. alternate,
caducous, plane, cuneate with a narrow insertion, entire,
truncate or slightly retuse, texture thick, guttulate ; cells’ minute
to small, roundish, lumen clear, containing only few chlorophyl
granules, walls thick, reddish-brown or olive colour, angles
thickened, no trigones. Stipules distinct, closely appressed to the
stem, near or connate to the adjacent leaf, broadly subulate,
entire or bifid to about segments and sinus acute.
$ and $ not seen.
Dim en sio n s.— Stems ^ in. long, with leaves T5 mm. to '2 mm.
wide, diam. '05 mm. to '075 mm.; leaves '2 mm. long x '2 mm.
wide at widest part, T75 ram. x T75 mm., T7 5 mm. x T25mm.,
■125 mm. x T mm., T mm. x T m m .; cells ’015 mm. to ’02 mm. ;
stipules ’075 mm. long x '05 mm. broad, '06 mm. x ’03 mm.,
•04 mm. x ^03 mm.
H.ab.— 16. “ On biroh trees growing on the bark and on
Frullania; on a rock in a ravine creeping among Badida acquilegia
with Lejeunea Ovata, L. microscopica, Plagiochila punctata, and P. tri-
denticiilata. On the trees it grows in reddish-brown patches
of a few inches, or creeping over the Frullania.” Moidart, West
Inverness, S. M. Alacvicar.
I. Growing parasitioally on Fndlania Tamarisci near Bantry,
Miss Hutchins. Cromaglown, Br. Taylor, Dr. Carrington,
Dr. Aloore. Killarney, Dr. Carrington. Connor Hill, Kerry,
D. McArdle.
Stavenger, Norway, Dr. B. Kaalaas.
Extremely rare; the above are the only known stations.
O b s .—Although no J or ? have been observed on this species,
Dr. Spruce (Hep. Amaz. et And. p. 440) has no hesitation in
referring it to the genus Clasmatocolea founded by him on a species
he collected on the Andes. He writes : “ These curious little
plants come very near Lophocolea, hut are well distinguished by
the peculiar h ab it; the assurgent leaves, with a plane antical
margin—not convexo-deflexed, with the antioal margin deourrent
and recurved at the base (as in Lophocolea) ; the biform stipules
mostly entire, but some bifid. The perianth, turgid and indistinctly
carinate, is so fragile that the slightest touch breaks off the short
unequal lobes at the wide mouth. I cannot doubt that the Irish
Jnny. cuneifolia. Hook. Brit. Jung. t. 64, hitherto known only from
sterile specimens, is a true Clasmatocolea. Specimens gathered a
few years ago by McArdle are so like the arcuate barren shoots of
Cl. frayillima that, until I compared them closely, I thought tliem