Abstract
DR. DE NOTARIS is so well known in this country by his numerous works on mosses and microscopic fungi, as well as by his liberality to correspondents, that it was with great pleasure that we received the noble volume before us, published at the request and expense of the Commonahy of Geneva. It was not to be expected that a country like Italy, where the borders of the Mediterranean are not rich in mosses; should present much novelty, the more Alpine pans yielding very much the same species as the Alpine or more temperate parts of the European districts. It is, ho vever, always interesting to compare the floras of different countries, even where species are so widely spread as the lower Cryptogams, and it is no matter of surprise to find that there are lure very few genera which are not amply represented in our own flora. The only genera which have not at pr sent occurred in this country are Lescuraea, Habrodon. Anacamprodon, Fabronia, which is essentially a genus of warmer climates, DubyePa, Oreas, Pyramidium, Conomitrium, Oreoweisia, Septodontium, Angstrcemia, Trematodon, Braunia, Coscmodon, Bruchia. Most of these are genera either containing one or very few species. The following European genera, excluding those found in the British Isles, seem not to occur in Italy: Voitia, Spor-kdera, Pharomitriurn, Eus;ichium. Pyramidula, Psilo-piaim, Anisodon, Platygyrium, Thedenia, most of which contain only a single species. The only genera of the British Isles which do not occur in Italy, are Daltonia, the single species, D. splachnO des, being confined to one or two localities in Ireland, ŒEdrpodium, Discelium, Bar-tramidula, Anomobryum, Tetrodontium, Glyphomitrium, Hedwig dium, Anodus, which aain are genera for the most part of one species only, so that Italian muscology cannot be considered as essentially different from that of other European districts. There are undoubtedly many good species which do not occur in this country, but it is probable that the number of these will be much reduced, one of the most curious, Buxbaumia indusiata, having been found by Dr Dickie at Aboyne in Aberdeenshire. It is much to be wished that some Italian botanist would give a similar work on Italian fungi. The truffles and puffballs of Italy have been admirably worked out by Vittadini, and something has been done for the more noble fungi by Viviani and others, but we ought to look to Italian mycologists for the identification of the fungi of Micheli. There is no doubt that any skilled mycologist would be well rewarded by the investigation of the Italian woods, which doubtless contain numerous interesting species. We must, however, look to the Italians themselves for information, as many difficulties would stand in the way of a person not intimately acquainted with the language of the peasantry. We see no reason why as perfect an enumeration of the fungi should not be given, as that of the Italian mosses now before us.
Epilogo delta Briologia Italiana.
Del Dottore G. de Notaris, Professore di Botanica e Direttore dell' Orto Botanico delia R. Universita' di Geneva. (Geneva, 1869; London: Williams and Norgate.)
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BERKELEY, M. Epilogo delta Briologia Italiana . Nature 4, 383 (1871). https://doi.org/10.1038/004383a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/004383a0