The English flora - SeaweedAfrica

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82 MUSCI-PLEUROCARPI-PERISTOMI. [Hypnum.
The plant varies much in size. Hedwig's H. plumosum (our H. salebrosum)
has striated leaves and ranks near H. lutescens.
23. H. pidchellum, Dicks, {elegant Feather-Moss) ; leaves
loosely imbricated the upper ones subsecund all of them lanceolato-acuminate
entire nerveless, capsule ovato-cylindrical nearly
erect, lid conical. Dicks. Cr. Fasc. 2. t. 5.f. 6. Turn. Muse.
Hib. p. 136. Fl. Brit. p. 1277. E. Bot. t. 2006. Drum. Muse.
Scot. v. 1. n. 76. Muse. Brit. ed. 2. p. 163. t. 25.—Leskea pul-
chella, Hedio. Sp. Muse. t. 55. /. 7— 12 Hypnum nitidulum,
Wahl.
Woods, in alpine countries and among rocks. Fr. Sept.—A small
species, scarcely an inch in length ; the leaves spreading out nearly
horizontally on two opposite sides of the stem, whence Wahlenberg has
referred it to his division " shoots plane ," but its upper leaves are subsecund
and it approaches in many respects the H. Silesianum.
-\— s- Leaves striated.
24. H. rufescens, Dicks, (red mountain Feather-Moss); leaves
erecto-patent lanceolate acuminate entire striated faintly twonerved
at the base, capsule ovate nearly erect, lid conical. Dicks.
Cr. Fasc. 3. t. 8./. 4. Fl. Brit. p. 1316. E. Bot. t. 2296.
Hobs. Br. Mosses, v. 2. n. 61. Drum. Muse. Scot. v. 2. n. 66. Muse.
Brit. ed. 2. p. 164. t. 25. Leskea rufescens, Schwaegr. Suppl.
v. 1. P. II. p. 178. t. 88.
Scottish mountains, among moist rocks, not unfrequent. Fr. rare,
July.—
n this state the Rev. Colin Smith finds it abundantly near Inverary
: and Mr. Wilson at the upper end of Finlarig Burn, Perthshire.
—Whole plant of a singularly yellowish-purple colour ; stems erect. It
varies in size, and small decumbent specimens considerably resemble the
Hypnum incurvatum of authors.
25. H. polydnthos, (many-fruited Feather-Moss); leaves
erecto-patent ovato -lanceolate remarkably acuminate minutely
serrated at the point smooth obscurely 2-nerved at the base,
capsule ovato-cylindrical erect, lid conico-acuminate. Hook, in
Drum. Muse. Scot. v. 2. n. 87. Muse. Brit. ed. 2. p. 164. Suppl.
t. 5. (not E. Bot.).—Leskea polyantha, Hedw. St. Cr. v. 4.
t. 2. Schwaegr. Suppl. v. 1. P. II. p. 69.
Trees and rocks, perhaps not rare : first found in England on Apple
trees, near Darlington, by Mr. W. Backhouse ; and on rocks and trees
about Forfar, Scotland, by Mr. Drummond. Fr. .—Stems forming
densely entangled tufts, with numerous short erect branches. Leaves
erecto-patent, slightly secund on the lowermost creeping shoots, ovatolanceolate,
running out into a long narrow acumen, which appears under
a magnifier slightly serrated ; there are 2 very short indistinct nerves at
the base. Seta about half an inch long. Capsule cylindrical, slightly
swelling at the base, reddish-brown. A small var. of H. capressiforme,
not unfrequent upon trees, has often been taken for this plant and \» indeed
figured as such in E. Bot. 1. 1664. Our plant is known by the leaves
pointing in all directions, broader below, more suddenly acuminated
above, the capsule quite erect, and by having decidedly the peristome of
a Leskea.