Art. XXXIV.—Notes on a Proposed New Genus of New Zealand Mosses; together with a Description of Three New Species.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 25, 1892, Page 285

Art. XXXIV.—Notes on a Proposed New Genus of New Zealand Mosses; together with a Description of Three New Species. By Robert Brown. [Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 7th September, 1892.] Plates XXXI. (in Part) to XXXIII. During the year 1882, having been engaged in botanizing on the Port Hills, from the lighthouse at the Heads to Cooper's Nob at the opposite end of the harbour, and on the plains round Christchurch as far as the banks of the River Waimakariri, amongst a number of new mosses then discovered by me were three which could not be placed in any of the existing genera, they, however, being most nearly related to Encalypta, yet differing from that genus in their having a short, stout, straight beak, instead of a long, slender, straight beak, while the calyptra, instead of being inflated as in that genus, closely encloses the capsule, and is confluent at the base. Since these two generic characters are the very opposite to those of Encalypta, these plants cannot be very well placed in that genus without seriously disturbing the accepted generic characters; consequently it becomes necessary that a new genus should be created to receive these mosses. Acting on the advice of a friend, I took no steps in this matter at the time for creating a new genus, fearing that the above-mentioned mosses might prove to be examples of some foreign genus not represented in the New Zealand flora; however, since this has proved to be not the case, I have brought this subject before the Institute to-night, and propose to name the new genus after the late Rodger Hennedy, Professor of Botany at the Andersonian University, Glasgow, my late admirable teacher and esteemed friend. Hennedia, Gen. Nov. Annual or perennial plants. Capsule erect or inclined, ovate or ovate-oblong, symmetrical, narrowed towards the mouth. Operculum short, stout, conic, straight. Calyptra

mitriform, large, covering the whole capsule, confluent at the base, commonly ruptured at the middle by the lateral growth of the capsule, when maturing very persistent. Peristome none. Hennedia macrophylla, sp. nov. Plate XXXI. A densely-tufted pale-green perennial moss, about ½in. high. Stem short, fastigiately branched. Leaves nearly erect, oblong-lanceolate, apiculate, slightly narrowed in the middle, concave, slightly recurved near the apex, margined with a subpellucid border of long quadrate cells, serrated towards the apex, from 3/16in. to ¼in. long, upper leaves longest, crisp when dry. Nerve keeled, excurrent. Areola, upper half dense, round; lower half quadrate, pellucid. Perichætial leaves similar to the other leaves. Capsule immersed, hidden by the upper leaves, broadly-ovate, narrowed into the mouth. Operculum short, conic, straight. Calyptra mitriform, large, tightly covering the whole capsule, confluent at the base, and very persistent. Hab. Banks of the River Avon, near Christchurch. Fruiting from August to November. Hennedia intermedia, sp. nov. Plate XXXII. Plants growing in small patches, dark-green, about ¼in. high. Stem short, 1/16in. or less, branched near the base. Leaves spreading, lower ovate-lanceolate, apiculate; upper larger, oblong-lanceolate, acute or acuminate, apiculate, serrated towards the apex, as long as or longer than the fruitstalk. Margin with a narrow border of pellucid quadrate cells, nerve percurrent. Areolæ—at the base, large quadrate, membranous; upper roundish. Perichætial leaves longer, otherwise similar. Fruitstalk ⅛in., inclined, thickened upwards. Capsule exserted, ovate-oblong, narrowed into the mouth. Operculum short, straight, conic. Calyptra mitriform, large, closely enclosing the capsule and confluent at the base, very persistent. Hab. Damp banks, Port Hills, and plantations round the River Avon. Hennedia microphylla, sp. nov. Plate XXXIII. A small, annual, pale-green moss, whole plant from 2/16in. to 5/16in. high. Simple or branched near the base. Leaves spreading, concave, oblong-lanceolate, acuminate. Margin entire or slightly toothed near the apex. Nerve vanishing or excurrent. Margin with a narrow border of quadrate cells. Perichætial leaves similar to stem-leaves, but slightly longer. Fruitstalk longer than the leaves, thickened upwards. Capsule inclined, ovate-oblong, narrowing towards the mouth. Operculum

conic, straight, short. Calyptra mitriform, closely enclosing the capsule and confluent at the base, very persistent. Hab. Damp banks in the neighbourhood of Christchurch. Common; fruiting from September to December. With regard to the determination of these three species, H. macrophylla is quite distinct; but the similarity between H. intermedia and H. microphylla is so marked that I was very reluctant to make the latter anything but a variety of the former. But, after observing these plants for several years in their habitats, I have never found them growing intermingled, nor observed intermediate forms. H. microphylla, moreover, is extremely common, and variable in size, ranging as it does from a plant 1/16in. to 5/16in. in length; yet, however small the plant, it retains all the appearance of the larger ones. The fruitstalk, too, is always longer than the leaves. I may point out that Hennedia is in much the same position with regard to the leaves of its species as that occupied by Dicranum and Campylopus, in which the leaves of many species are almost identical. In conclusion, I may state that I have presented specimens of these species to the Christchurch Museum, so that any one interested in the matter can examine them. Description of Plates XXXI. (in Past) to XXXIII. Plate XXXI. (in Part). Hennedia macrophylla, sp. nov. Fig. 1. Capsule and calyptra. Fig. 2. Perichætial leaves. Fig. 3. Stem leaves. Plate XXXII. Hennedia intermedia, sp. nov. Fig. 1. Capsule and calyptra. Fig. 2. Perichætial leaves. Fig. 3. Stem leaves. Plate XXXIII. Hennedia microphylla, sp. nov. Fig. 1. Capsule and calyptra. Fig. 2. Perichætial leaves. Fig. 3. Stem leaves.