Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club (Volume 6 ) (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1889. Excerpt: ... MEMOIRS OF THE TORREY BOTAN1CAL CLUB. Vol. Vl. No. 2. A Revision of the North American Isotheciaceae and Brachythecia, By Abel Joel Grout. The work on the Isotheciaceae and Brachytheciaceae was undertaken with the purpose of correlating and bringing up to date the later work on the American plants of this group which has been done largely by foreigners and has been published in various scientific publications, some of which are difficult of access. Barnes and Heald's new Keys to the Genera and Species, it is true, contain all these collected descriptions, but it has been felt by every student of American bryology that much of the recent work, especially that of Nils Conrad Kindberg, was, to say the least, of uncertain value. The sentiments expressed by Dr. Barnes concerning this matter in the preface to the second edition of his Keys, are heartily approved by every American bryologist. A very large proportion of the new species in this group has been founded on insufficient and incomplete material and the descriptions of perfect specimens even have often been entirely inadequate for the determination of the species. My thanks are especially due to Professor John Macoun, Dr. William Mitten and M. Jules Cardot for notes and specimens. By Professor Macoun's kindness I have been able to examine type collections of most of Kindberg's new species. Professor Macoun assures me that the specimens of Brachytheeium harpidioides, B. lamproehryseum, B. gemmaseens, B. rutabuliforme, B. pseudo-collinum, B. nanopes, B. platyeladum and B. mirabundum "are absolutely identical with those named by Kindberg." The work was undertaken at the suggestion of Mrs. Elizabeth G. Britton, to whose kind criticism and assistance is due much of whatever value this revision may possess. T...