Broyophytes of the Santa Monica Mountains

A preliminary species list is provided for bryophytes of the Santa Monica Mountains, along with illustrations of representatives of many of the genera to serve as an introductory guide to the group. Presently 109 species of bryophytes are known from the Santa Monica Mountains. This does not count some of the species from difficult genera with many samples of uncertain identification remaining to be studied further. Bryoerythrophyllum ferruginascens (Strit.) Giac. is reported new for California. A comparison of the Santa Monica Mountains bryophyte flora with those of Santa Cruz County, at the same elevation but higher latitude, and Mount San Jacinto, at the same latitude but higher elevation, indicates that the Santa Monica Mountains flora shares more of its species with Santa Cruz County but lacks a great many species that are common in that wetter climate, and that the Santa Monica Mountains flora is remarkably dissimilar in composition to the flora of Mount San Jacinto.