“ It was not before we bad examined very numerous specimens
of this plant, both natives of the Continent and of our
own country, that we were enabled to ascertain the presence of
an inner peristome. It is composed of eight exceedingly slender
cilise, arising from the sides of the teeth ; and, from their
highly delicate nature, they arc extremely fugacious. They
are formed of a single row of elongated cellules. W e may here
observe, that Drs M o d g e o t and N e s t l e r , who published in
their Stirpes a plant which they consider O. L udw igii, afterwards,
on ascertaining that it had no internal peristome, referred
it to O. clausum of H o r n s c h u c h ’s MSS. W e have quoted
the latter plant with a mark of doubt, though we cannot help
believing, from our own experience, that the plant of Mou-
GEOT and H o r n s c h u c h is the same as ours, agreeing with it
it in every respect, save in the alleged absence of an inner peristome.”
Such are the observations of Dr H o o k e r and myself,
after a laborious examination of this very beautiful and
rare species. In this country, it is almost invariably associated
with O. crispum and O. Drummondii : frequently, indeed,
growing intermingled in the same tuft. In habit, it nearly resembles
the latter, hut is admirably distinguished by its smooth
and pyriform thecas ; while both are at once removed from
O. crispuvi by the creeping stems, and far less crisped foliage.
O. L u dw ig ii was first determined as a British plant by
Mr D r u m m o n d of Forfar, and is the fourth species of this
genus which has been added to our Flora since the publication
of Professor H o o k e r ’s Flora Scotica. One of these ( O. spe-
ciosum) remains to be figured in this work, and will appear in
the next number.
Fig. 1. O. Ludwigii, nat. size. Fig. 2. Leaves. Fig. 3. Theca, with the operculum.
Fig. 4*. Theca with the peristome. Fig. 5. Peristome when moist.
Fig. 6. Teeth and ciliary processes o f the peristome. Fig. 7- Calyptra.—
All except Fig. 1. mo-re or less magnified.